I’m officially done with my last banner project ever. Yes, I’ve decided this New Year’s to take a stand against work that makes me miserable. Among these things are…
- Banner ads
- ActionScript 2.0
- Last minute crazy hectic projects
- Working with recruiters (Actually, this one was from a couple of years ago)
Some people say I’m crazy or that this sort of work is unavoidable or that it may be shitty but is highly lucrative. However, I always try to avoid projects where I cannot reasonably predict success. Banner ads, AS2 projects, and last minute work all have in common that they seem more subject to chaos than the usual job. Banner ads are difficult to plan because they require loads of tweaks, tedious restraints such as file size restrictions, and duplication of effort for multiple sizes or multiple ad standards across target sites. Or at least they have in my experience so far. ActionScript 2.0, aside from being nearly obsolete, tends to encourage poor programming practices by being a hybrid of non-OOP and OOP paradigms. Last minute fixes and jobs that need to be done ASAFP are rife with issues: the time a developer needs to familiarize himself with unfamiliar code is usually not considered, formal architecture and design is omitted leading to freestyle coding, and because the deadline is so short, if even a tiny issue arrises the project is fucked. Of course, any project can get out of control, but with a little forewarning and careful choices, chaos can be avoided. These types of projects tend to practically guarantee that there will be issues and that there won’t be a smart way to negotiate them.
As for recruiters (or staffing agents, or talent scouts, or whatever else they call themselves), in hard times they might seem like a necessary evil. Still, I feel that I can almost always find a much higher quality match with an employer or employee by direct referrals from other colleagues and friends in the industry – even if it’s through linkedin. Besides, I’ve had enough shady recruiters call me with “incredible offers” on nights and weekends to make me want to disconnect my phone.
So no offense to anyone else who is stuck making banners for their job. I know that all of these things are a neccessary part of our industry. However, I personally don’t want to be involved anymore. I seriously am going to add a “no-banner” clause to my next contract. Instead, I hope to focus on some of the following things that make me happy…
- Game and application development
- Working with people whom I respect and enjoy
- Writing books and blogging
Wish me luck!
OMG i ‘m in the same situation (some minor variations) and i want to do the same thing: games, people i respect not n00bs, and investigate and help the comunity.
I wish you luck! And i hope things change for me also… i think somewhere near july… idk.
Good luck! You can do it!
Luck hereby wished! I’m about to do the same thing (well, the top one mostly)
First and foremost, goodluck! It can be incredibly difficult to ignore external financial forces, and really go after what you want, but I’m sure it’s the path to lasting coding happiness :O)
That said, there is an alternative to just saying “no” that I’ve found effective for any unwelcome offer of work. Estimate the job realistically to yourself and multiply by pi. This will ward off most evil spirits/projects or convert them into welcome windfalls. I find it motivational knowing I’ve just earned two weeks off, or time to work on pet projects and it’s slightly less painful (for you) than stabbing your leg with a fork to keep focus, which is an alternative technique I sometimes have to resort to.
Well, so… good luck :)
I’m happy for you because you CAN make this decision, for me, in Italy is near impossible… let me explain:
i’m a flash developer for a company based in Milan and I think we are pretty good doing our job. Our clients are such as Disney, MTV and so on, so I am talking about large business companies. But…. in this junk a large amount of money is spent ( no, wasted ) in crappy things such as banner campaign or adv, marketing and all that useless things.
So, there is a little budget for good projects and a company, even like the one i work with, must do this kind of jobs to survive. Often, banner campaign are paid just a little less than websites…. ( and i am angry Angry ANgry ANGry ANGRy ANGRY)
I hope that thing will change, but i don’t believe it at all…. :(
And i feel good knowing that is not everywhere the same… so again good luck!
Mims I feel your pain…!
For the last 7 months in the agency I work for I have had 3 actuals projects with the bulk of my work consisting of banners! It’s infuriating knowing you can do so much more but left working on monotonous mind numbing work.
I also resolved to do something along the lines of your post. It’s a shame that the general consumer or even worse, colleagues at work who sell the Flash workm think a banner is a viable / creditable use of Flash. Occasionally it can be worth while if the banner is interesting but lets face it, the majority of the time it’s just a complete and utter waste.
Fingers crossed for you :)
anton.
Congrats! It seems that this is the only way to go (and it sounds awesome!).
Banners and sick deadlines are the cancer of the web..
Best of luck!
I work in advertising and have promised myself never to work on another banner project again. Wish me luck!