Flash Deconstruction: The Process, Design, and ActionScript of Juxt Interactive

Imagine a seminar for web developers covering ActionScripting, pulled together and presented not by unknown, professional seminar presenters, but by a well-known and respected Flash design house. The first part of the seminar presents ActionScripting Fundamentals, not only for those new to ActionScripting, but also to explain best practices and proper workflow to those already using ActionScripting (this also helps correct bad habits). The second part of the seminar requires the class to walk through a deconstruction of the design house's own website; the third part requires the class to work through the building and deconstruction of a special site developed especially for the seminar. In each part of the seminar, three pedagogical methods are used: 1.) Basic lecture/exposition of the material; 2.) How-To sections focusing on hands-on learning of detailed areas; and 3.) special Inspiration Inserts, where the class explores and deconstructs other high-profile sites.

Todd Purgason is the Creative Director for Juxt Interactive, a web-design studio based in southern California that specializes in Internet strategy and Flash-based interactive web sites. Todd has led Juxt in creating innovative work for clients such as Sketchers, Billabong, Macromedia, OmniSky, Nortel, MCY.com, Toshiba, Shorn, Fujitsu, and many others. This work has been highlighted in several publications and books around the world, including PDN-PIX, I.D. magazine, Commarts, HOW Magazine, Print magazine, Cre@te Online, and others.

Juxt's work has earned a number of awards, including the Clio Award, How Magazine's International Design Competition award, the Print Magazine Interactive award, Communication Arts Award, IPPA StudioONE and DesignONE awards, the CommArts Magazine Web Site of the Week, and the High Five Award.

Under Purgason's creative direction, Juxt has been honored with 12 Macromedia "Site of the Day" awards and has been featured in several product galleries on Macromedia's web site. In addition, IPPA has selected Purgason as one of today's top 10 web designers in the world.

Purgason, an author and regular speaker on the subject of interactive web design, has contributed to a number of books, including Hillman Curtis's best-selling book Flash Web Design (New Riders), New Masters of Flash (Friends of Ed), Flash Studio Secrets (Hungry Minds), and The Flash 5 Bible (Hungry Minds).

Phil Scott is the Chief Technology Officer for Juxt Interactive, bringing his broad technology background to expand the horizons of the Internet through user experiences steeped in solid technology solutions. Delving into computer programming at age 10, Phil had a bit of an early career start. He grew up through a variety of M.I.S. and software development positions across a broad range of technologies. While actively developing business applications and expert systems, long-time interests in programming languages, telecommunications, and client/server business systems propelled this engineer and project manager into the growing frontier of the Internet in early 1995.

Through the first few years of the web scene, he managed and assisted in developing several Internet-based, medical image analysis and diagnostics systems and became a web applications specialist, project manager, and business leader. Since joining Juxt in 1999, Phil has led the company to new levels of technical achievement, with efficient data-driven web sites and custom content management for Flash- and HTML-based solutions. Hidden beneath the stunning and strategic designs of Juxt Interactive, technology pumps through their veins, bringing them to life.

An author and speaker on the subject of interactive technology, Phil is contributing to two as-of-yet-untitled books on the subject of Flash and Generator. He has also contributed to Glenn Thomas's book Flash Studio Secrets and is preparing to speak on advanced ActionScripting.

Brian Drake has been working in the computer industry since 1992 and specifically in the Internet industry since 1996. Outside of work, Brian is a classically trained guitarist and a martial arts enthusiast. Aside from his capabilities as a developer, Brian is best known at Juxt for surviving two years of eating nothing but boiled chicken and rice, lightly salted.

Bonnie Blake, MFA, is an award-winning designer specializing in web design and multimedia. She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Digital Media at Ramapo College in New Jersey and has taught at the College of New Rochelle and Parsons School of Design, both in New York. Bonnie is the author of How to Do Everything With Flash 5 and The Premiere Virtual Classroom. She is also the author of the best-selling online course Flash 5 ActionScript, located on ehandson.com.