November 19th, 2009
It would seem the weight of guilt doesn’t get lighter by sharing, so this week I took two days out of my schedule to:
- update the portfolio
- implement the new site skin, designed by the very talented Charis (of WiredPortfolio) back in January.
Amongst the projects added from the last year are:
There’s also been a lot of extra-curricular (i.e. non-Flash) work this year, mostly Processing/Generative Art related. I’ve written a little about the “creative coding” book I’m currently writing (to be published in Summer 2010), but for fuller details of my Generative Art, my writing, and other more experimental work, you should visit my (award winning) personal blog here. Which is where, amongst other things, you can see a video of my work projected onto a Brighton church.
Posted in 3D, awards, books, flash, flex, freelance, generative, processing | 1 Comment »
October 26th, 2009
They say it is a good sign if you visit a freelancer’s website and they haven’t updated it in a long time, because it can be taken as an indication they are a) very busy, and b) so in demand they don’t feel the need to sell themselves too hard. Both these are probably true in my case, but still I carry this huge nagging guilt about my poor neglected portfolio, which now has approx 10-15 projects waiting to be added.
It clearly hasn’t effected the work flow anyway (which kinda makes me wonder if maybe I should just get rid of the portfolio entirely), but recently I have had some rather awkward questions from clients asking “so, what kind of work do you usually do”. If you looked at my portfolio, frozen in time in early 2008, you’d think my focus was eLearning. A year earlier it would have been games. But the correct answer is neither of these.
So, for the record, the kind of work I usually take on is probably best summed up as: “the meatier end of Flash”. Which these days usually means Flex, but not always. On anything else – industry sector, technologies, job size – I am usually without prejudice. Although, if you are an arms dealer wanting a Flash game about shooting Iraqis, don’t even waste an email.
Anyway, I’m not trying to hawk my wares here, just trying to preempt the questions. I’m pretty much booked up until xmas right now anyway, mostly due to my Generative Art Book. But that, is another area of work entirely …
Posted in flash, flex, freelance | No Comments »
January 14th, 2009
Flex has been around a while now and is ramping up in terms of popularity. I had a handful of Flex projects last year, all of which were a positive experience, and I have more lined up for this year. But while Flex has been embraced quite happily by the Coders (mainly because it is the first decent ActionScript IDE) I’m not convinced it has penetrated our symbiotic co-species; the Designers.
For all Adobe’s claims about improving workflow with the use of Flex Builder, which it certainly has for writing code, I’m not sure the way of creating components and skins for Flex (which cannot be done easily without one of Adobe’s other products) is quite as instinctive. The reason I suspect this is because for every Flex project I have worked on we have had real difficulty finding a suitably skilled Designer.
One of the stigmas associated with Flex is that every Flex site you see on the web, looks like a Flex site. So many times you see the default loader, default buttons and even the default grey colour scheme, which suggests to me the Designers are nowhere to be seen on these projects.
So if you are a Flex Designer reading this, or a Flash Designer who isn’t scared off by Flex, please get in touch. Especially if you are in the Brighton or Birmingham area and are affordable. I have projects you can be helping me with right now.
And Adobe, listen up; Flex isn’t going to change the world until we can get the Designers on board. So perhaps you might want to make it a little easier for them to work with it.
Posted in as3, design, development, flash, flex, freelance | 5 Comments »
October 23rd, 2008
When I started working as a Flash freelancer in Brighton I assumed the whole world and their wife were all out there doing the same thing too. But I have since come to realise that while there are plenty of freelance Flash professionals out there (not so many Flex Developers though), there are only a few whose ActionScript is worth their day rate. Also, the good ones tend to be booked up months ahead, so don’t have any particular need to advertise their talents.
So, for those of you who are looking for an ActionScript freelancer, below is my pick of the best of Brighton.
Naturally I’m putting myself at the top of the list, as I need your work just as much as anyone else. But if you have spoken to me and I am busy, or you owe me money, or you’ve taken offence to my haircut or something, try one of the other guys. My colleague Kris has a longer list here, but these are the people I will personally vouch for.
Matt Pearson (zenbullets)
Neil Manuell (revision)
Matt Sayers (soplausible)
Owen Bennett (steamboy)
Rich Willis (rich text format)
If you contact them do let them know you found them via me. Beer is very expensive in this town.
If it is a Flash Designer you are after, rather than an ActionScripter, they are much easier to come by. Your best bet may be to tap people randomly on the shoulder while wandering around Churchill Square. Roughly one in every five will be a Flash Designer.
Posted in as2, as3, development, flash, flash, flash brighton, flex, freelance | 10 Comments »
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