Behind the Scenes with Resn

WD: Flash is a key component of much of Resn’s work and is traditionally very graphically intensive. How do you balance creativity and functionality, ensuring that a site is still lightweight enough to load quickly?
AW: Well, we are lucky we have really bad internet speeds in New Zealand. This always reminds us of load times. We also tend to stay away from projects that are really heavy on video and leave all the creative to moving picture. It is always good to remember that it is not the Flash content which is heavy it is the creative material that people place within it, whether it is audio, video or bitmaps. Loading logic is important for Flash and often left with little thought. Resn puts a lot of time into coding Flash sites to load content when the user is distracted with interactivity or guessing where the user may navigate to next.
Now with the 3D engines becoming popular for some projects we must be careful with CPU load. A maxed out CPU can really ruin a Flash website and turn it into a lemon. Optimising 3D websites is really important and something we have to budget and plan for now.

WD: When working on a project is all the content produced in-house or does Resn often use 
external agencies or individuals for certain parts of a project?
AW: Resn does produce the majority of our projects’ content in-house. Film shoots, photography and 3D rendering of objects we normally contract out but otherwise most of our design, animation, illustration, development and audio are all produced within the walls of Resn. Ad agencies will often dictate copy writing for projects but we will help with that where it is required.

WD: Promotion is crucial to ensure the longevity of an agency. What are the principal tools used by Resn to ensure maximum exposure?
AW: Being different is the main one. If you do work like everyone else and act like everyone else you will blend in with everyone else and then it is really hard to get noticed. Take a few risks and try doing things a little different. It might not work the first time but trust your gut instinct. The industry leaders are not necessarily always doing things the ‘right’ way; they often are great at letting everyone else know that what they are doing is the ‘right’ way. Also be vocal, get out to industry events and make yourself known. Make sure you have an opinion.

WD: Design trends and styles are always moving in the world of web design. What has caught the agency’s eye recently and how much attention do you pay to trends?
AW: We really like what Shane12Lees is doing on YouTube. We say we don’t pay attention to trends and we’re above all that but who are we kidding? There are a lot of people designing up a storm out there. We try not to define ourselves with a style but place emphasis on developing a style for each project we design. Also the way a site moves, animates and sounds adds to that style so we also try to look beyond the static still designs that we begin with. We often pick bits from styles, particularly the way something moves or reacts, it may not even be a website, it could be a videogame or movie.

WD: Resn is undoubtedly an agency with some very talented people on-board. What would you say to anyone trying to get into the industry?
AW: Don’t rely on others teaching you. Teach yourself and learn from others. Making mistakes will teach you more than any classroom… we’ve made a lot and learnt a lot.
Any creative industry is tough to get into. If you want to get into the leading web design companies and you have little experience then you may need to work for free or enter an internship program. Although this does not sound ideal you will be learning from some of the best in their field. Learn from what they share, it’s priceless.

www.resn.co.nz/

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