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Once upon a time on the web, there was an unwritten rule disregarded by none but the most foolhardy ' do not use Flash animation. With the proliferation of broadband access, that commandment no longer applies. Now, you can use Flash to shift your online image fundamentally. With effective Flash animation, you can engage visitors more quickly and hold their interest longer, even if your site is not content-rich.

Kreative Approach, a consulting firm near Boston, has used Flash animation to magnify its web presence. Despite the fact that Kreative Approach has a seasoned staff with a substantial track record, the company's website, KreativeApproach.com does not offer a lot of content. Without much content, the site seems thin. If the site lacked an elegant design, nothing would hold the visitors' attention ' resulting in lost opportunities.

Through the effective use of Flash animation, Kreative Approach is able to overcome its limited content offerings. Dynamic on-screen elements engage the reader, creating the appearance of size. The image of depth and breadth comes primarily from activity. The website responds to deliverable acts by visitors, i.e. mouse-clicks. Instead of merely moving from one page to the next, the visitor experiences changes on the page itself. As a result, the lack of content goes unnoticed, as the visitor focuses on other aspects of the experience.

Flash animation must be implemented judiciously. It is easy to apply too much animation and disrupt the user experience. On-screen changes should be subtle, enhancing the information on each of the sites' topics by showing a transition. The reader should feel almost as though one page slides into the next. Excessive animation, though, simply distracts visitors from the message you are trying to convey.

Kreative Approach has succeeded in applying Flash animation across its website effectively. Motion is limited to horizontal changes, mostly left to right. Visitors relate to this theme, as western languages are read from left to right. In this manner, Kreative Approach's use of flash enhances the reader's experience; it feels more natural.

For Kreative Approach, the use of Flash animation and design represents the use of its own intellectual capital to facilitate the company's growth on the web. Kreative Approach, to meet the needs of its enterprise clients, keeps an internal design staff. Consequently, it is able to express its message effectively through Flash while enhancing the website visitor experience.

You can derive two lessons from Kreative Approach's use of Flash on its website. First, the careful and efficient use of Flash animation on your website can enrich the experience of your website visitors ' increasing the likelihood that they will become paying customers. The second lesson pertains to company message. Kreative Approach was able to implement Flash effectively because it had a coherent message; the company understands itself.

Access to talented Flash animation skills does not imply the need for a substantial cash outlay. As access to broadband has increased, Flash skills have become commoditized. Even newer and smaller businesses can engage competent design talent without having to break the bank. Consequently, you can follow Kreative Approach's Flash-oriented web strategy.

Kreative Approach seems to have a nascent advantage with in-house Flash designers. While small businesses should not attempt to replicate this model ' why put yourself in the Flash business? ' there is a deeper lesson involved. Kreative Approach's successful implementation of Flash animation on its website results from its profound understanding of the message it wants to convey. You can improve your presence on the web by developing a clear and unequivocal story for your website visitors to follow.

With a defined company message, you can engage Flash talent more effectively. You will lower the cost of developing Flash animation for your company website; the talent with whom you work will require fewer revisions, yielding a lower price tag. The lessons provided by Kreative Approach, taken together, are powerful. Investing in Flash animation for your company website can be inexpensive and generate substantial returns, as long as you have a clear vision of the story you want to convey.

Kreative Approach has not had the time to resources to invest in extensive content writing. Instead, Kreative Approach invested in Flash animation to engage readers without pages and pages of material. Kreative Approach leveraged its strengths around Flash ' but more important was its reliance on self-knowledge. Kreative Approach developed a keen awareness of the message it wanted to express, making the cost and time associated with implementing Flash much less expensive.

You can apply Kreative Approach's lessons to your own company. Take a critical look at your website and evaluate the optimal approach. Content-rich websites with hundreds of pages of copy may not be appropriate to your business. Some companies need other ways to engage website visitors. If a content-rich website is not best for your business, you may want to explore the use of dynamic tools such as Flash to capture reader interest. Regardless of your approach, a clear marketing message will make your design efforts much more effective.

Copyright 2006 Daniel Scheff