ESPN's Flash Overkill?

Oct 27, 2003 5:01 PM
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ESPN has taken a beating from the web design/usability community over their use of Flash for text headlines.

However, Mike Davidson answers the critics: the downsides aren't that bad (I don't agree entirely) and the typography is much better (I concur). Here's what I see, using Firebird 0.7 on Linux (CSS on top, Flash below):

screenshot showing the difference between Flash and CSS font rendering

Whether that's worth the tradeoff — "the 1k hit, unselectable text, and loss of search engine placement," according to Dave Shea — is up for debate, but the Flash version really does look significantly better.


Comments: ESPN's Flash Overkill?

Thanks for the apples to apple test Joe. Much appreciated. Oblique lettering rarely looks good when it is aliased and your test underscores this point.

As for the "beating", I feel like it was more of a light poking. You see something which doesn't make sense at first, you poke at it a little, and you get your answers from the community... or in this case, the source itself. Seeing as the conversation started out mostly negative and ended mostly positive, I'm satisfied that everyone understands our reasoning now... even if it's still slightly objectionable to some.

Mike
ESPN.com

Posted by: Mike Davidson on October 27, 2003 5:41 PM | permalink

Maybe I overstated the drama. I think it started off as a beating and then people retroactively pulled their punches once you explained your thoughts.

Posted by: Joe Grossberg on October 27, 2003 6:05 PM | permalink

No more comments! Either someone has violated Godwin's Law, I'm tired of the discussion or, most likely, the ten-week window has closed. You can, however, contact me through email.