Session 5 [Wed 270110] - Superbanner Progress/ That Button Code/ Blog Structure/ Major Project

Homework

Banner

Prepare and send me the artwork for your proposed banner by Wednesday [270110]. Be sure there are clear directions on how the art will move. Bare in mind the 30k limitation.

ActionScript

I highly recommend purchasing the iPhone/ iPod Touch App from the iTunes for Learning Actionscript AS3 and read the chapter on Timeline Control. This is the kind of code we will be handling next [I will bring the book in again on Friday].

Flash Blog

Once you have seen how to structure the blog entries, please format your current posts accordingly and I will read them for Friday.

Major Project

Loads of ideas for your upcoming main project in word association and sketch form for Friday. I will draw up an official brief on this for next week but it will certainly allow wide scope for your early thinking on the assignment.

Super Banner Progress
If you can, artwork your final idea as Photoshop Layer Comps for Wednesday. Layer Comps allow you to storyboard easily in the same Photoshop document, showing how your banner will animate.

Remember, where you can, use vector based art to save on memory.
I will analyse the artwork for motion for Friday's session.

Repeating Your First ActionScript [AS]
You need to apply the invisible overall button to yuor final banner. Here's the code to activate the button as promised -

var myURL:URLRequest = new URLRequest("http://…");

overall_btn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK,
onClick,false,0,true);

function onClick(evt:MouseEvent):void
    {
        navigateToURL(myURL);
    }

That's it. Next time we will look at timeline control with AS and look at home to extract the AS from the Fla file for future best practises.

Storming The Main Project
Important - You need to extend your thinking on the major project. Let's see some comprehensive brainstorming and some associated research. Your studio manager [me] is only looking for ideas in text and sketch form at the moment. Be sure to impress with the volume and quality of your ideas. Show off your creative abilities and offer some strong parameters for moving forward.

Session 4 [Fri 220110] - Creating An Invisible Button/ Activating Buttons With ActionScript/ Absolute Links With ActionScript/ Motion & Shape Tweening

Session 3 [Tues 190110] - Main Project Ideas/ Flash Blog Written Assignment Brief/ Superbanner Update/ Flash Workshop/ ActionScript

Hi Sally. A quick tally of what's going to happen in the weeks ahead.

Main Project
Recall that for Friday we need to be able to discuss some ideas for a major project site. Get storming!

Written Assignment
The brief for your assignment is available to the right. Please read carefully. Can you write a first analysis ASAP to test the water?Remember the key tenets of any web design project - Target Audience/ Content/ Navigation/ Technology/ Design.

Superbanner
I look forward to ideas on the green superbanner soon. Remember to keep the ideas simple. We can find some time during the workshop on Friday to discuss them and talk about a production strategy.

Flash Workshop
The Flash Workshop is on Friday [220110] from 2:00 - 6:30pm. The secret to getting Flash is to grab as much practical experience as possible alongside any reading you may be doing. Also, it is good to learn amongst your peers.

ActionScript 3.0
Get that ActionScript study going too. Read the first the first chapter of the Shupe book and formulate lots of questions for Friday. The chapter on Timeline Motion is where you should be headed as fast as you can! [If you want the copy I have, let me know and I can bring it in on Friday].

All the best,
James.

Session 2 [Fri 150110] - First Live Session/ The Design Process/ The Rudiments of Flash

Hi Sally! A useful session today I think.

The Creative Process
It's important not to forget the process of designing as you handle what may seem a simple task like the Superbanner brief.

There is still research and brainstorming to be done on a set theme.

Your thinking and initial sketching on the subject should result in a range of ideas. These should be honed to three or four and a final choice made from these.

The final choice may be the first thought you had but it will be enriched by the supporting ideas. This is even more expected of a designer in an advertising context.

A simple search on Google will bring up a respectable list of Green organisations to aim your thinking at, from home composting to off-shore wind farms, and activists fighting for the rights of island dwellers and polar bears everywhere.

I look forward to your boards next week. Remember to prepare a template storyboard sheet with room for description, directions for animation, and timings where you can.

The Rudiments of Flash
We covered quite a lot of ground today. Armed with that insight and with recourse to the recommended books you should be able to pick it up a pace with your understanding of the Flash environment.

It will be interesting to see what you learnt next week in some actual practical examples. Make a note of whatever you wanted to do but weren't able to achieve so we can cover it the next time we meet.

What we covered today -

• The Flash GUI, key panels, and Workspaces
• Setting the Document Properties [Apple-J] including bgd colour, frame rate [18fps for the Banner]
• When to use bitmap, when to use vectors
• Comparing file size for bitmap and vector art
• Symbol Types - Graphic, Button, MovieClip
• Naming Protocols - one rule for the Library items - Symbols - and another for ActionScript-able Instances
• Importing single layer bitmaps to the Stage/ Library
• F8 - Convert To Symbol
• Importing Layered PSD artwork to the Stage
• Introducing Tweening Types - Classic [Frame by Frame/ Shape Tweening], Motion Tweening, and Inverse Kinematics
• Working with a Motion Path in a Motion Tween
• Editing the span and keyframes of the MotionTween Object on the Main Timeline
• Introduction to the Motion Editor

Moving Forward
Three things need to be established alongside the banner project -

• Defining your final assignment
• Starting your analysis of Flash sites
• Reading on ActionScript

So, in addition to your Superbanner work, watch the blog this week for the written/research assignment, start reading the Learning ActionScript for Beginners book, and interview your brains for ideas toward your main project.

I'm getting excited for you already!
See you soon,
James

Session 1 [Mon 110110] - Introduction/ Course Outline/ Briefing Project 2 Training Task - Superbanner

Hi Sally. Welcome to Web Design 2, Guided Study.

The necessary 20 session time allocation for this course will be achieved by a mixture of blog sessions - where you will receive and query instructions - and live sessions, one to one - where you will receive training in Adobe Flash CS4.

In the live sessions you will also be able to discuss ideas and review developmental work.

 

Course Outline
Web 2 is a Flash-based course. Flash gives you an opportunity as a senior student to get acquainted with a beginner to intermediate level of scripting, in the service of motion and interactive graphics.

There are three significance parts to the course -

1. [PROJECT 1] There will be a main assignment component that might take the form of a promotional portfolio site or a site connected with a current senior design project. This major assignment lasts the entire term.
2. To prepare you for the final site build, there are two complementary training tasks.
   • [PROJECT 2] The first training assignment is a simple animation/ interactivity task using Flash to create a banner ad formatted message.
   • [PROJECT 4] The second training task is to build a Fla file resource, incorporating the key/common features found in most Flash sites.
3. [PROJECT 3] Finally, there will be a research assignment to be presented in the form of a web log involving analysis of existing Flash sites and sites related to your chosen main assignment subject.

Superbanner Brief [PROJECT 2]
We will kick off with the Banner Ad task. Please download and read carefully the Superbanner brief.

All instructions and deadlines are on the brief. Please comment via this blog or email me at jgosling@aiulondon.ac.uk

Additional Optional Resources For Project Two
A useful print resource for advertising related Flash and inspiration for this task is Creating flash Advertising [Jason Fincanon] from Focal Press. The current edition is for ActionScript 2.0 unfortunately. However, the information of planning, developing, and implementing banner ads is most useful.

A robust beginners guide to Flash Professional is the Visual QuickStart Guide [Ulrich] from Peachpit Press. If you get on with manuals you will find this a useful reference for your early Flash career and helpful as you build your banner and try to absorb the ideas and commands for Timeline/Stage based Flash development and motion control.

Next Session
Session2 will, weather willing, take place on Friday 150110.

Please don't hesitate to ask questions about the brief and the rest of the above information.

The official brief for PROJECT 1 will be available soon.