Took the job no one wanted and made it my own.
To earn some extra revenue from our parent advertising agency, the organization I was at took on code production for HTML banner ads. (My hands-on learning project was actually in Flash, which I had prior experience in, but like two days after that, Flash was handed an expiration date and we led the organizational pivot to HTML instead.)
Every other dev scoffed at it, since it was, y'know, banner ads, the scourge of the internet. We used Google Web Designer to add in logic and the necessary containers/scripting, and after way too many tears of frustration at eaten code and a genius realization that GWD just compiles down to flat CSS, I started applying the same CSS principles I did for front-end development -- appropriate scoping, writing performant styles and animations, and finding ways to streamline development and hands-on time.
I also had to interact with designers and creative directors as we worked together to create something that was engaging and on-brand, without violating Interactive Advertising Bureau standards or creating an annoyance. I got to apply my love of animation techniques to my day job, work with fantastic creatives, and complete highly profitable work for my organization.
The capstone of this line of work was running a hands-on workshop with the rest of the dev team to show them the techniques, processes, and brand motion guidelines I had developed, ending with the rest of the dev team creating work of their own and having to figure out for themselves what "make it pop" means in creative feedback.
Highlights include using the Twelve Basic Principles of Animation, building a complex interactive calculator with JS within the restrictive banner environment, extensive use of Photoshop to work with creative assets, and becoming known as the company's banner expert.
To earn some extra revenue from our parent advertising agency, the organization I was at took on code production for HTML banner ads. (My hands-on learning project was actually in Flash, which I had prior experience in, but like two days after that, Flash was handed an expiration date and we led the organizational pivot to HTML instead.)
Every other dev scoffed at it, since it was, y'know, banner ads, the scourge of the internet. We used Google Web Designer to add in logic and the necessary containers/scripting, and after way too many tears of frustration at eaten code and a genius realization that GWD just compiles down to flat CSS, I started applying the same CSS principles I did for front-end development -- appropriate scoping, writing performant styles and animations, and finding ways to streamline development and hands-on time.
I also had to interact with designers and creative directors as we worked together to create something that was engaging and on-brand, without violating Interactive Advertising Bureau standards or creating an annoyance. I got to apply my love of animation techniques to my day job, work with fantastic creatives, and complete highly profitable work for my organization.
The capstone of this line of work was running a hands-on workshop with the rest of the dev team to show them the techniques, processes, and brand motion guidelines I had developed, ending with the rest of the dev team creating work of their own and having to figure out for themselves what "make it pop" means in creative feedback.
Highlights include using the Twelve Basic Principles of Animation, building a complex interactive calculator with JS within the restrictive banner environment, extensive use of Photoshop to work with creative assets, and becoming known as the company's banner expert.