General - Ian Thomas

Goodbye Static FBML, Hello iFrame - An Overview of Custom Tabs for Facebook Pages

Facebook has recently upgraded Pages with a raft of new features that are aimed at helping Page owners communicate more effectively. Amongst the new features are better ways to keep up with activity on a Page, new ways for Pages to share content, new ways for users to filter a

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Facebook Announces More Ways to Publish to Users Who Click Like Buttons

Millions of websites and social games have implemented Facebook’s Like button social plugin, yet relatively few are taking advantage of the capability to publish news feed stories to users that click those buttons. In an effort to increase awareness of this option, Facebook posted to the Developers Blog explaining

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Design Utilities - Wireframing Template

A key step in my design process is getting ideas down on paper. It doesn't really matter where this happens, either in my lovely notebook or on sheets of A4, the key is to rapidly get ideas sketched out using good old pencil and paper. One recent addition to my

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A better way of making contact

As part of an upcoming pitch I have been working away from my computer to remove internet distractions and open myself up to more creative thinking. So, armed with a trusty pencil and a lovely Moleskine Cahier gridded notebook I’ve been perched in the front atrium of the

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How I made the artwork for Supatronix using Flash, AS3 and the HYPE Framework

Supatronix celebrated 7 years of broken beats and bass this year and for their birthday artwork they wanted something a little bit special. The brief was for a pixelated number 7 and with my recent interest in generative art I thought it was the perfect chance to get my hands

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Big swooping circle things!!

After playing some more with a particle engine I'd written, I started to wonder what would happen if I drew using the particles as anchor points. The image above is the result, a massive abstract mess!! Getting closer to the image reveals a level of detail that I find fascinating.

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Some special artwork produced using Flash, AS3 and the HYPE framework

Above is some artwork that I've been creating using Flash, AS3 and the HYPE Framework (www.hypeframework.com). It's a one-off piece and it's the first print I will have ever had professionally printed. Fingers crossed that it comes out looking great! Although I've been a bit quiet recently on

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Should digital designers learn to love coding?

My job title at Coolpink is 'Web Designer' and though my role has developed over time to incorporate Flash design and development, it was initially a bit different to what I'd come to expect as a web designer - I didn't have to code any HTML or CSS! This came

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What does Apple Vs. Adobe mean for new professional Flash designers and developers?

The iPhone started it, the iPad carried it on and now it seems that the revised T's & C's from Apple have really fired the whole Apple vs. Adobe argument. From the outset I'm going to put my cards on the table, I love Apple products - I have an

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Christmas is coming!! Sneak peek of an Augmented Reality Christmas Tree

This is something I've been doing at work and at home as a sort of cross over project. It's not the end product but a proof of concept really. Looking forward to getting round a table with the movers and shakers of Coolpink to thrash out where we want to

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Is the best framework no framework?

Next week marks my first full year in a digital agency and also my first full year working with Flash. Prior to 2008 I'd never really touched Actionscript, tweens or movieclips so it's been a bit of a whirlwind getting to where I am now! Over the course of the