Used in the right way a Flash Intro or Flash Template can make a great impression.  Finding Flash applications that are fast-loading and don’t stop your SEO is the biggie.

I recently visited the Smarter Systems website of Marc Tracy and saw some great client sites I asked Marc for an interview.

How did you get into web design?  “Website Design was a natural progression for me. Initially in 1991, I was building Network Computers for my clients, then my varied clientele were asking for websites for their businesses and as I have an artistic flair I found it quite simple to create a unique web presence for each.”

Do you remember the very first site you designed?  “Yes indeed, My first website was for Hanwells Car Centre in London. Hanwells sell pre-owned Bentley and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. They were unhappy with the service they were getting from the company they were with and asked me to construct a comprehensive web site for them.  Initially their business was concentrated on the west of London area, but after 5 Years Hanwells now have an enviable worldwide reputation as the largest retailer of these luxury vehicles They now sell Bentley and Rolls Royce Automobiles to all corners of planet.

“You are doing a lot of Flash Animations, is this a specialization for you?  “Yes, I love the ability of expression that Flash allows me, I am incredibly passionate about my work and I find that small Flash movies enhance the pages I create, giving the end user a unique experience that holds their attention long enough for my clients message to really hit home.”

Where do you get your art for these webpages?  “Mostly the artwork for our pages come directly from the clients themselves. Some I create myself, Some is sourced from Libraries and rarely, some is outsourced. We have to evaluate each project on it’s own merits and always keep an open mind with regard to creating imagery worthy of the clients particular product or service. We never forget that the client has a choice of web designer.”

What will be the next big development in webpage design?  “Who knows! Personally I believe we will have more interactive websites. In my world the client is always King and the end user benefits from the fruit of our labors. I am always excited by the possibility of a challenge.”

Have you ever worked with website templates?  “Yes indeed, We started creating Website Templates some years ago, mainly for Car Showrooms these have received great exposure and form a substantial part of our business portfolio.”

What website template providers have you tried?  “We have found over a period of time that for various reasons, we and our clientele were not satisfied with the majority of templates on offer and always preferred to create our own.”

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using Flash?  “We have found that Flash is an amazing tool but feel that it is better utilized in small quantities as with many of our websites.”

What are your sources of inspiration?  “Our Clients… always.”

What are your favorite website designs that you did NOT design yourself?  “http://www.jacquielawson.com   This is a remarkable website the quality of the work is truly exceptional http://www.bentleymotors.com  This is a very Classy Website http://www.sanibel-resort.com   This is a well constructed website. I spent my 5th anniversary here and it certainly lives up to the website, or vice-versa.”

What was the toughest project or customer situation you’ve encountered?  “This is a really difficult question for me to answer. I’ve never come across a situation that presented a really overwhelming problem. In tough situations I go back to the client with my team and we work through the specifics until a solution presents itself. Which it always does.”

What are your interests and dislikes in webpage design?
“Broken Links and Bad Navigation are possibly the worst elements of website design and yet there are so many websites that are not properly maintained, resulting in the end user giving up on the site and moving swiftly along to another website. At SMARTERsystems we pride ourselves on the maintenance of our websites at all times.”

Thankyou Marc for the info and fine examples.

Dreaming the Future,
Arthur Browning