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 Why
do I minimize the use of "special effects" that are hyped
by so many others?
They usually look
cheesy.
In most cases they're implemented in a tasteless manner that
makes the site look amateurish. Take a look at other web designers'
sites - the sites they create to promote themselves. They
work so hard to impress you with their little animations and
flying effects - and the resulting site looks more like a
Saturday morning cartoon than a serious marketing tool for
a business. What is their purpose? They usually serve little
purpose other than to gratify the designer's ego.
They're expensive.
On one site I designed recently, one flash animation cost
almost as much to create as the entire rest of the site. The
animation looks great, but it really doesn't make the site's
marketing function more powerful. If your budget allows and
your needs dictate something like this, I can get it done.
But I'd rather see you spend less on animations and use the
money you save to promote your site and increase the number
of hits your site receives.
Slooooooow.
They can increase how long it takes to download your site.
Isn't the WWW slow enough as it is?
Many require plug-ins.
In many instances, those special little gimmicks that add
animation or sound require particular plug-ins, additional
programs that work with the browser for specialized functions.
What does this mean? It means that you're going to send your
visitor to another site to get the plug-in, so they can install
it, re-start their browser, and come back to your site. Oh,
they'll thank you for that. Some plug-in programs, like Adobe
Acrobat Reader, are so widely used that you can count on a
high percentage of your visitors already having it installed.
But you should question the risk of irritating your visitors
before you employ any function on your site that requires
a plug-in.
So I CAN'T have neat effects
on my site???
I didn't say that! Most javascript and many
DHTML functions are cross-browser compatible, meaning they'll
work in any of the more recent browsers that your visitors
will be using. On this site, you'll find mouseover effects
for the tabs at the top of the page, a scrolling DHTML script
on the opening page, and if you're using Internet Explorer,
you'll see CSS-driven mouseovers for the hyperlinks throughout.
Depending on the nature of your business, streaming video
or a flash animation may be appropriate. The point is,
when I design a site I focus on the content and structure
first and foremost. Special effects are like spices - I add
them sparingly to enhance the "flavor" of the site.
I think you'll find most other designers treat the effects
as the main course.
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