When creating a website I will always think about how can we bring the site to life? How do we turn something from a static 2D experience into something that really creates a memorable moment when viewing a site.
Quite often the answer is including some really nice animation effects to help tell the story, create a bit of wonder and stand out from a sea of AI Slop website templates that are seemingly polluting the internet.
GSAP is one of those tools that I use to create animations because of it's vast flexibility when it comes to building and designing what ever you can dream up. GSAP is a Javascript library that gives you great tools and flexibility on how elements move including timing, speed and when the movement starts and finishes.
Take the opening of a website - I often like to create that suspense and unveiling, like I did with Ace Contracts or Shade Water Gardens. I like to be able to set the scene when initially loading the site, this give it a lot more of a premium feel.
However, there’s a balance to find. A website still needs to be easy to read and comfortable to use. If every section demands attention, or you have to sit through an effect before getting to the content, the animation starts getting in the way. We have to always consider the user experience as a vital part of this and it shouldnt be compromised but, it's got to the feel fun interesting.
