Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Cost Can Be an Issue
So why wouldn
t I design my ads to run with a rich-media
company every single time? I mean, if I were going to be con-
strained to a file size, I
'
d rather be constrained to 100k than 30k.
How about the ability to have additional loads in the form of Flash
files, images, XML, or several other options? Why give that up?
What about the video I want to stream into my ads? The answer is
cost, my friend, cost! When you upsize that meal at the drive-thru
or when you buy the car with the larger engine, you expect to pay
more because you get more, right? The same concept applies here.
Thedifferenceisthatyouaren
'
'
t spending your own money now;
you
s money. Another concept that fits per-
fectly is the concept of not using a technology just for the sake of
using that technology. Pitch your ideas to your client and let them
know which ones will require them to
'
re spending your client
'
They
will let you know which one they are happy with, as well as which
one they feel comfortable spending their money on.
“
upsize their order.
”
Interactive Standards and the Interactive
Advertising Bureau
Because we just got finished talking about ad formats and since I
mentioned a usual file size limit of 30
s spend a minute on
online advertising standards. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)
is an association whose goals are not only to campaign for interactive
marketing and advertising, but also to prove its effectiveness. In addi-
tion, they also lead the charge to get the industry organized with a
voluntary set of standards and guidelines for interactive marketing.
The voluntary guidelines you
-
40k, let
'
ll find from the IAB are those
that most sites and agencies currently follow. They include, but
are not limited to, ad units, e-mails, pop-ups, and rich-media. By
familiarizing yourself with their voluntary guidelines and stan-
dards, you
'
ll know valuable information pertaining to important
topics dealing with your work. Topics include ad formats (width
and height), recommended file sizes, animation lengths, and
audio/video controls.
I
'
ll go into a little more detail about the IAB in just a bit. You
can also find more information and IAB guidelines on everything
from ad units to rich media to e-mail to pop-ups on their Web site
located at http://www.iab.net (Fig. 1.5).
'
TIP
The Bandwidth Profiler in Flash is a very useful resource when it comes
to keeping your banners within the file size allowed by your specs. It also
comes in quite handy for seeing how your microsites will download and
