Better characters

There’s a huge emphasis on interactivity across the internet these days. Eye-catching, distinctive, interactive characters can be a valuable addition to any website. So if you are looking for an entertaining interruption to your day-job, some odd little web characters might just be the perfect distraction. Whether they exist in an interactive animation or an addictive little game, first-rate character-based websites gain cult and mainstream followings on the net and are a great way to draw attention to your web design work.

The secret to creating a successful interactive web character lies in the balance between fun and reality. No matter how insane or unreal your character becomes, you will reach a greater level of popularity if you add perfect mannerisms to bring that character to life, to build on the relationship between your character and the user.

Interactive character-based sites can entertain and educate, there’s an open opportunity to charm children and adults alike. Characters can be produced in an endless array of styles and, if created skillfully, add a magic element to a website, be it corporate, conventional or contemporary.

This tutorial will teach you how to adapt your Flash knowledge to master character animation. Step-by-step you will learn how to take a character idea through the process of design, artwork, animation and interactivity, essentially bringing your character to life. The final product will be a fresh and interesting animated character with which the user can interact fully and directly.

 Illustration and tutorial by Pocket Laboratories www.pocketlaboratories.com