The Growing Popularity of Flash Player

As a graphic designer, you may be involved in Web site design. More companies are using Flash video and Macromedia Flash Player to create more engaging Web sites. As a graphic designer, it's important to know what this technology is being used for and where it's going.

Macromedia Flash Player is a software platform that enables graphic designers and web developers "to integrate video, text, audio, and graphics into effective experiences," according to Macromedia's Web site. The company adds that Flash Player is used by over 1 million professionals and asserts that it is the "world's most pervasive software platform."

How is Flash Being Used?

High-traffic Web sites such as Fox.com are using Flash video to create a more interactive, brand-oriented Web site that makes it easier for internet users to watch video content. The U.S. Army's 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team uses Flash Player to run Breeze, a Macromedia software program that supports the Army's efforts to coordinate combat information in real time. And if you search the Web, you'll find hundreds of Web sites that employ Flash technology to create a more dynamic web experience for the user.

With 98 percent of internet-enabled machines equipped with Flash Player, this software platform is becoming increasingly popular among designers, developers, and users alike. You can learn more about Flash Player through a flash web design course or within a graphic design program or web development program. Learning how to use Flash technology, given its broad presence, will likely serve you well in your future as a graphic designer or web developer.

Sources:

Macromedia http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/proom/pr/

About the Author

Sarah Clark is a freelance writer who lives in Arlington, Virginia.