#5 FlashBack - A rare and special conversation with Eric Jordan, 2Advanced Studios, covering the 2Advanced era, Erics career, web design, flash, and UX

Eric Jordan, the founder of 2Advanced Studios, takes listeners on a very special journey through the early days of Flash website design and how it influenced his approach to designing world-renowned immersive web experiences that created hysteria during the early-mid 2000s. Eric reflects on the rise of 2Advanced and the impact of the projects the studio produced had on designers worldwide. 

Eric discusses the state of creativity today in developing immersive interactive experiences coupled with UX design, noting a lack of magic and rawness sometimes in experiences due to overly boxed-in processes and design templatization.

“I wanted websites to feel like an experience. I didn't want it to feel like a corporate website. That's not interesting to me. I want it to be emotional. I want it to be like a film we can kind of talk about. When I built the 2Advanced websites, I was kind of in this elevated state of consciousness at the time, just in terms of the music I was listening to and what I was going through spiritually.”

However, he expresses excitement about new tools and technologies that are emerging to break this trend and shares his passion for collaborating on projects that are trying to change the world in big ways. 

This podcast is a must-listen for anyone interested in the history and future of website and UX design.

Key learnings and topics in this episode:

• Learn about the rise of 2Advanced Studios in the 2000s, the impact of studio projects, and the depth of creativity and design
• Remember Flash? Learn how Eric used Flash, animation, and music to create truly immersive user experiences.
• How and when Flash changed Eric Jordan’s life
• Learn about Eric’s unique journey. From his early designs to his futuristic motion graphics consultancy.
• Eric’s approach to UX design, and how he has pushed the envelope to create groundbreaking experiences.
• How Eric suffered and overcame work burnout after multiple award-winning projects.
• Eric’s advice on creating experiences that are not only functional, but also emotionally compelling, and how to push the boundaries of UX design to create something truly original.
• What Eric Jordan is up to now, his involvement in SpaceX, and the future of UX.

View Erics  Work:
Eric Jordan Website: www.ericjordan.com
View 2Advanced Studios Website References:
Expansions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWkNkQoQY_8
Prophecy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM_JNqFCvyo&t=56s
Attractor: https://youtu.be/9AnIknxdeS8?t=83
FWA: https://thefwa.com/profiles/2advanced-studios
Neverrain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLZhaYo5da4

Links:

UX institute: https://uxinstitute.com/
Mark Swaine on Twitter: https://twitter.com/UX_UI_Guy

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UXI (UX Institute) Original Podcast 2023.
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