Many web designers like to use Flash design.  For those who do not know what Flash is it is a multimedia format that was developed by Macromedia.  This program allows web designers to use interactive movies and images on the web site that they are designing.  The web designers can also use Flash to create animations for the web sites also.  Using Flash in web design makes the web site much more interesting and interactive.  It give the web site a dynamic angle to it.

Using flash animation  in web design will allow the company that is getting the web site designed to show an entire profile or a presentation in a few second Flash.  Another great feature about Flash is that the movies that use this program are able to be easily stored since the files are so small.  You can use Flash for adding video to web sites and also for adding some great animation to the web site to make it much more exciting.

When using Flash you should always look for the .swf file extension at the end of the file name.  This lets you know that it is a Flash file and that it can be used in Flash.  By using Flash instead of html only you can give the web site a much more interesting feel. 

Some of the down sides of using Flash would be the extra time it takes for a Flash file to load into a browser.  Many browsers actually have ways to block Flash from being played on web sites that it visits.  If this occurs then the user may not be able to access some of the web sites that use Flash.  But many of the browsers also have a way for you to access these web sites and it is up to you ultimately. 

When you are using Flash when designing a web site you must understand three basic factors for it to work properly and for internet users to come to your web site.  First of all you must make sure the quality of the Flash that you are using is good content.  You do not want to waste Flash on something that is not good as it will annoy people and take to long to load.  Speaking about the length of time it will take to load you will want to make sure that the time it takes to load is not too long.  People who use the internet are sometimes a bit impatient.  We want to see the page right away and do not want to wait for anything.  The flash on the web site you design should be short and as fast as it can be, otherwise people may very well leave the site before they even see it.  One last thing you will want to check on is the length of the presentation.  When you use Flash you should make sure that the user is shown the point of the presentation rather quickly and not take up too much of their time.  Again we do not like to wait for many things.  In this world of hurry up and faster we want our web pages up in only a few seconds.

Flash can be used in many ways in web design and it is used in many ways.  You can use Flash as the introduction to your web site or you can make it something small and simple.  It is up to you as the web designer but Flash can be used in both ways and in many ways in between.