The Problem WIth Flash Designers

[..:_Apropos_:..]

Today's Topic: Pixel fonts and design in flash.

As a designer in Flash and a reviewer of other designers I am becoming increasingly annoyed with pixel fonts. While Flash designers seem to have excelent eyes, the rest of of do not. Whether this is simply to overcome the automatic anti-aliasing of fonts or to copy such popular sites as 2Advanced and WideGroup, new websites is that while many have valuble content to offer, it cannot be read. And even if it can, websites like the Flashkit featured sites like Out Of Target creep you out and at the same time offer no content.
I am not necesarily suggesting that us Flash Designers need a complete reform of our design, but perhaps that we need to keep in mind the primary function of a website... to delivert content. An example of an exellent designer gone bad is the creater of WebFeats. This designer is able to animate with ease but his text is almost unreadable.
Just as movies often forget the plot to deliver a visually stunning experiance (ie. Lord Of The Rings), websites are becoming increasingly obsessed with the presentation fo the content and ofter forgetting to present it in a readable way.
So what, you ask (probobly not), can you do? Well first, keep in mind that you are not designing for other Flash designers, but rather for the target audiance of your design.

Well designers... untill next time...

-Apropos

[Eyenovation]

Welcome to Flashkit.com

I think there is a fine line of:

'Doing it just because everyone else is..'

and the client who says..

'I ABSOLUTELY want that style of text. I love it, etc.'

I agree we as designers should be trying to find different and unique ways to convey the message.

I for one am tired of the hi tech look which seems to be popular as well. I do think, however - some people use the pixel fonts simply becuase Flash handles text like poo.

Perhaps in Flash 6.0 - this will be remedied.

[aversion]

Originally posted by Eyenovation
I do think, however - some people use the pixel fonts simply becuase Flash handles text like poo.

very true.

[PixelAddict]

pixelfonts rock

[Eyenovation]

Just curious, whats tomorrow's topic?

Hi Tech Web Looking Sites???
Small NON pixel text??
Pop Up Windows??
Pixel Graphics??

[Sapphire Design]

I agree. I checked out 2Advanced and wasn't impressed.

Sure it *looks* good, but it's *unuasable* I mean I couldn't read not one word.

Sort of like buying a top selling book to leave on the coffee table to look and and never read.

[h2kduck]

i personally can read their text just fine and im on 1280x1024 res..oh well, everyone is different.

[Eyenovation]

Originally posted by Sapphire Design
Sort of like buying a top selling book to leave on the coffee table to look and and never read.

I guess all those web critics and judges alike are out of their 'ing minds then, eh?


Yeah - well - I am sure Jakob Neilson would love your thoughts.

[snuifkip.com]

once -long time ago- neanderthalers created "hands on the wall" in a cave painted with blood or wathever....
probably just to communicate.
painting evolved ( ever saw Pollock ? )
maybe it's not only a way to tell things but just a personal expression of feelings
------------------------------------------------
so when we follow your way of thinking and we put that way in extremis we should all create basic html / black text on a white bckgrnd # ??
maybe not all the webstuff is created with the intention to communicate or to deliver content, perhaps it's also a way to express feelings ... and for those that doesn't like it, well go to yahoo or CNN ( wich are btw also good developed sites) and don't visit those sites / do you go to a museum filled with work that you don't like and tell later the work s*cked ? do you go to a movietheatre knowing the last Lynch is playing, knowing that you probably will not like it cause in your view there's no story, no beginning, no middle, no end ?
-------------------------------------------------

sven || spudio.antwerp

[PixelAddict]

Voila

goe gezegd gast

[Sapphire Design]

Not at all...if you click on my homepage link at the bttom, you will see that I'm into imaging/graphics.

MY problem with the 2Advanced site is that I literally cannnot read it. (17 inch monitor set to 800X600, sitting apporx. 8 inches away from monitor)

I don't agree wiith everthing Neilson says. I do howeve think that usabilit Must be top priopity.

Okay so *you* can see micro fonts. What about your users? What if I owned a huge corperation and wanted to sink half a million into a website? Someone highly recommends a site like 2Advanced. I go there and I can't read not one bit of content. My first thought is going to be:
'If I hire these people what about *my* users?'

I'll agree wholeheartedly that using such small type *looks* great. My point is what good is that if one has no clue about what the site's function is if they can't read the text?

I applaud thier imaging work, and thier execution of Flash. I just think it's a shame to have such a fine *looking* site and render it unusable.

You really do have to keep the end user in mind. Otherwise what's the point?

[pre'zet]

sorry to butt into the conversation guys, but I think that anyone who can't read 2advanced needs to see an optician.

I have to agree that the hi-tech look is now getting a bit overdone, but to some people the web offers a way of providing content and to some stylistic aesthetics.
Companys want different things - sure some might want to bombard consumers with piles of information that realisically they will never use and others just want to promote themselves as this is 'who we are' and 'what we do' and 'our style is this' eg 2advanced.

I have to admit that I love the 2advanced site, slick, clean and stylish and the use of pixel fonts are there to 'help' people read as they are 200% clearer than the **** that flash provides.

[jpegger]

i'll have to agree that pixel fonts are fine to read (in fact i find them much better)

[treehugger]

Originally posted by Sapphire Design
Not at all...if you click on my homepage link at the bttom, you will see that I'm into imaging/graphics.

MY problem with the 2Advanced site is that I literally cannnot read it. (17 inch monitor set to 800X600, sitting apporx. 8 inches away from monitor)

I don't agree wiith everthing Neilson says. I do howeve think that usabilit Must be top priopity.

Okay so *you* can see micro fonts. What about your users? What if I owned a huge corperation and wanted to sink half a million into a website? Someone highly recommends a site like 2Advanced. I go there and I can't read not one bit of content. My first thought is going to be:
'If I hire these people what about *my* users?'

I'll agree wholeheartedly that using such small type *looks* great. My point is what good is that if one has no clue about what the site's function is if they can't read the text?

I applaud thier imaging work, and thier execution of Flash. I just think it's a shame to have such a fine *looking* site and render it unusable.

You really do have to keep the end user in mind. Otherwise what's the point?

I just looked at 2 A's site and yours. Your text is smaller and harder to read than 2a's. Maybe I read your post wrong because my eyes are hurting from all the small text. but is that not what you said you dont like about theres. Also spend some time on 2A and you may see that it is a master piece as well as most of there work.

[alberto sejas]

... text?. You can communicate a lot without text, and the fact is: text will not be read. I avoid text as much as i can, and if i must, well, i follow classical typography rules (never pixel fonts!!!)

[DrumDesigner]

I have to agree with everyone else. The font looks fine, even at the highest resolution. The font is also "straight forward"...I've seen too many Flash sites that have these crazy fonts that are unreadable, it's right up there with "non-intuitive" buttons. You know, the kind that you don't know that it's a button until you accidentally mouse over it! lol...

2 A 's site is really intuitive and to the point, the font is a reflection of this and is HARDLY unreadable.

[jderifaj]

I want to become part of the problem!!!!

haha...seriously though I really do want to become part of the problem here and discover how sites are creating the pixel graphics.

Pixel fonts..ok, got it, but are there any sites out there that show you how to create pixel graphics? I can't find any, and I've tried.

I'm not going to litter the net with this type of design, but I sure would like to try it and see how it goes.

thanks in advance

[jpegger]

jderifaj- ask this guy....http://idfreak.tripod.com

later

[Brainiac]

Just adding some stuff here. I myself am a usability freak and brand new to flash.

Of course somethings are inevitable. For instance Verdana 10px large is the easiest font to adapt, it's more easy to read 12px courier. And you can make fonts like courier and times look both good and in-style. But the web would be pretty boring if ALL sites looked the same. But then again...almost all sites use verdana 10px.

Anyway. Using different fonts in flash can be an interresting and entertaining process for most designers. And it usually looks good. When you look at the whole. But almost always when you talk about Flash it seems like most designers work with the whole impression and misses small details. Most pixel fonts are totally un-readable, and even they are not it is often some other part that f*cks up. Flash isn't really meant to present large chunks of text and information. Not in the common sense at least. Splitting the text up into different blocks and presenting them in an interactive and interresting way is the Way of Flash.

Also blurry, small fonts is also another drawback in flash. Causing an even worse case of eye-pain.

Also, Netscape and Mac OS have problem with displaying certain fonts that is not installed on the client machine.

My advice is to try to use system fonts like _sans or _serif or common fonts like times new roman and verdana. It might be boring but at least it can be read. Or one can offer another way to display information; such as HTML or downloadable PDFs.

[alberto sejas]

Originally posted by Brainiac
Flash isn't really meant to present large chunks of text and information. Not in the common sense at least. Splitting the text up into different blocks and presenting them in an interactive and interresting way is the Way of Flash.

...100% with you. That´s the way we work, i made a very complex animation only to show our address, and to show who we are. And people have fun with it!