Flash to the Core [Paperback]

Joshua Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 24, 2002

Coverage is not critically tied to a particular rev of Flash. Flash to the Core is about the creative process and what Joshua Davis can teach about taking Flash design and development to new extremes. Part one is all about Joshua, the artist: his philosophies, his approach to Flash workflow, how he works with clients, how he explains and explores the world around him through his creative approach to Flash web design, animation and motion graphics. Part two is about the work itself: 12 Flash-based projects Joshua has created in the past year. Some of these have won awards, others have been nominated for awards. Each project is a narrative and deconstruction, with the code used in the project included and explained. A large and growing audience wants to learn advanced Flash techniques from the best in the business. No other book can do this quite like Flash to the Core: An Interactive Sketchbook by Joshua Davis.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

It's been interesting to watch the reaction to Joshua Davis's long-awaited entry into the print publishing medium. His icon-like status has provoked so much speculation--"What's going to be in the book?" "How can Josh get into one book everything he's about?" "Will there be a diatribe against Jakob Nielsen?"--that you knew a few people might come away wondering a little bit if Josh gave them what they'd expected.

And I guess that's the thing about Joshua Davis: He rarely gives anyone what they expect; he gives them whatever he has to give them at the moment. For *Flash to the Core*, Joshua had so many directions he could've gone in... and he chose to keep things pretty simple and elemental. People ask him all the time why he does what he does, where'd he get all those .... thought processes; what makes him do this amazing development. How does he write the code. Why doesn't he do the code a different way. Who are his inspirations. Does he like fried bologna sandwiches or sushimi?

As stated on the back cover of the book:

"Some people experience Joshua Davis's work and they shrug and walk away; others experience his work and their lives are never the same.

"Ever put red food coloring in your eyes to see what the world looked like? Ever bake a painting to see how a little chaos and physics can affect art? Ever have a web site freeze you in your tracks, than draw you in for hours? Intrigued? Read this book. *Flash to the Core: An Interactive Sketchbook by Joshua Davis* is much more than motion graphics seen through the eyes of a designer who's in a class by himself. It's a how-to book on making yourself a better designer. Reverse-engineer technology and reassemble it with your own balance of chaos and creative reason, and see what you get...."

This book is Joshua's way of answering so many of the questions he's received over the past couple of years, and his way of showing anyone who's interested how he perceives Flash technology. Yeah, there's very much a teacher at work here (he does teach Flash courses in New York City as well as in seminars worldwide), and most teachers tend to start with the elements before anything. That said, Joshua's handle on teaching the elemental components of Flash is bound to yield some pretty interesting stuff even for more-advanced users. There's truly no other book like this one, because there's no one else like Joshua Davis. New Riders is honored to be his publisher; let me know what you think. Thanks. Steve Weiss, executive editor, New Riders, [e-mail].

From the Back Cover

Coverage is not critically tied to a particular rev of Flash. Flash to the Core: An Interactive Sketchbook is about the creative process and what someone like Joshua Davis can teach the world about taking Flash design and development to new extremes. Part one is all about Joshua Davis, the artist: his philosophies, his approach to Flash workflow, how he works with clients, how he explains and explores the world around him through his creative approach to Flash web design, animation and motion graphics. Part two is about the work itself: 12 Flash-based projects Joshua has created in the past year. Some of these have won awards, others have been nominated for awards. Each project is a narrative and deconstruction, with the code used in the project included and explained.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: New Riders Publishing; 1st edition (July 24, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735712883
• ISBN-13: 978-0735712881
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,453,706 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A different (and much needed) view on Flash design, October 19, 2002

By 

A. Tsurukame (Lomita, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flash to the Core (Paperback)

I love any book that makes me rethink my methods and views on a particular subject and in this case, it's Flash. In this book you get a glimpse of how Flash wizard Joshua Davis approaches Flash design and also his views on Art on the Internet in general. This is the key to enjoying the book. If you want his thoughts on Art and Flash, then you'll enjoy it. If you're looking for an indepth instruction manual to create the next Praystation, look elsewhere.

While this book doesn't contain any super-advanced code, it is important for anyone who wants to know some of the building blocks on how to start making sites like Praystation. The sections on the "perfect fade" and other actionscript widgets, really made me rethink how I approach coding such simple flash objects. He places emphasis on "elegant" code that is, to quote the book "simple and yet robust". Also equally important is how Davis prepares his workplace. He has a well thoughout system for organizing creative assests in Flash that I've tried to adopt.

For me the best parts were reading on how he finds inspiration for his artwork, namely from Nature. It's made me realize to look for inspiration not just on the web, but everywhere -- outside my window, while walking to the post office. etc.

While not perfect, I would have like to seen more case studies to get a deeper insight into he's methods. Not just necessarily his actual code, but just more of his approaches and problem solving methods. If you're looking for tons of code, look elsewhere, this is "sketchbook" about Davis and Flash, with some design theory, funny anecdotes and bit of code thrown in. If you are designer someone who wants to rethink a bit about how to make Flash art, check it out. Here's to hoping he writes a sequel.

If you're a beginner, I'd recommend the Friends of Ed "Foundation Flash MX Actionscript" book in addition to this. Do the schoolbook learning through the Foundation book and then read the Davis' book before bedtime to ground yourself and to find inspiration.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For All Of You Intimidated Flash Designers, February 22, 2003

By 

Evan C. Backes (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flash to the Core (Paperback)

I spent quite a bit of time researching which books to buy when I decided to wanted to learn Actionscripting. For many graphic designers/web designers it is pretty intimidating to learn Actionscripting. If you know anything about Javascript, then you'll feel right at home.

So I bought Joshua Davis' book alongside Phillip Kerman's "Actionscripting in Flash MX." Joshua's book is indespensable. It is very easy to read and I guarantee you will have that moment of clarity where things just start to make sense and the intimidation eases up. Kerman's book is also great because it is very technical and is a very complete resource. However, Davis' tutorials allow you to achieve results in the best and most efficient manner. Just imagine someone using the app for so many years and divulging all his little secrets. That's kind of what it's like.

I highly recommend this book for the beginner Actionscripter, but I also recommend a more complete resource to really accomodate it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Extremely accessible, September 15, 2002

By 

Marcus G. Friesl (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flash to the Core (Paperback)

This book is a great read. Is it for the advanced..probably not...but for those that are starting out...or somewhat ankle deep into actionscript it helps clear up a lot of issues. The projects aren't complex...and each chapter introduces unique ideas. It's only at the end of the book where you realize that your knowledge base has grown considerably. The book gives you the basics...but what's more important you get an understanding of where all this knowledge could lead. The isn't a how-to-be-Joshua-Davis-in-3-days step-by-step instructional book. It gives you a great foundation in a surprising conversational narrative.

You really don't even need a computer to enjoy the book.