Recently, I stumbled upon something that brought back a wave of nostalgia. A well-known studio, 2Advanced, which made some of the most iconic Flash-based websites of the early 2000s, rebuilt one of their old sites using Rive. Seeing this rebuild sparked my curiosity. Flash was once a tool that allowed designers to craft entire, interactive experiences on the web, not just simple animations. With the web having shifted to responsive design, clean layouts, and minimal animations, Rive seems like a modern version of what Flash could do—but better suited for today’s internet.

Now, I’m asking myself, Could we build entire rich media websites using Rive, in the same way we once did with Flash? There are plenty of tools for web animations, but what excites me about Rive is the possibility of creating immersive, dynamic experiences that could define a website’s entire design, not just enhance it. Before diving in, though, there are several key questions I need to answer. I’m inviting you to explore these questions with me as I determine whether Rive is the tool for building rich, media-heavy websites that go beyond basic animations.

  1. Embedding Rive (.riv) Files

First up, how do we embed a .riv file into our website? Rive offers a specialised format that allows for highly interactive and engaging animations, but embedding it properly and ensuring it integrates seamlessly with other elements of a site is crucial. Thankfully, Rive provides a JavaScript library that simplifies the embedding process. But as we push the boundaries of what’s possible, I’m curious to see how this holds up in more complex builds that go beyond a simple animation.

  1. Controlling the Size of the Canvas

With Rive, how do we control the size of the canvas for different devices? For desktop sites, the canvas can be large, allowing for an immersive experience. But what happens on mobile? The challenge will be making sure these rich media experiences translate across various screen sizes without losing their impact. While Flash was mostly confined to fixed sizes, Rive offers more flexibility—but how far can we stretch that?

  1. Can We Build a Fully Responsive Experience?

Responsive design is the backbone of modern web development. So, the question is, can we build a fully responsive website entirely in Rive? I’m not talking about just scaling animations, but making sure the entire experience adjusts seamlessly based on the device it’s viewed on. This involves controlling everything from layouts to interactive elements and making sure they work fluidly across all screen sizes, without needing multiple builds.

  1. Efficient Content Preloading

Rich media often comes with performance concerns, and Rive is no exception. How do we preload content in the most efficient way possible? Back in the Flash days, we had loading screens, but those won’t fly in today’s fast-paced world. It’ll be important to dive into best practices for content preloading and optimisation to make sure that a site built primarily with Rive can load quickly and offer a smooth user experience.

  1. Deep Linking and Navigation

For websites built entirely in Rive, can we enable deep linking to specific sections of the site? This is critical for usability. Flash often struggled in this area, as users couldn’t directly navigate to a specific part of a website. Rive’s potential lies in overcoming this limitation, but I need to explore whether it can truly enable deep linking for a seamless, modern web navigation experience.

  1. Embedding and Loading Various Types of Content

A website built with Rive will likely need to embed more than just animations. How does Rive handle embedding images, media, fonts, and other assets? Will loading a lot of rich media impact performance, or can Rive efficiently manage all the content types a modern website requires? This is a crucial question in determining whether Rive can handle complex websites without sacrificing speed.

  1. What Are the Best Sizing Units to Use?

In the world of responsive design, using the right sizing units is essential. Does Rive favour pixel-based measurements, or can we use flexible units like em, rem, or percentages to make a site scalable? Understanding which units work best with Rive will help ensure that the site adjusts fluidly across devices.

  1. Vector or Bitmap: What’s the Right Choice?

Finally, is Rive more suitable for vector-based graphics or bitmap images? Vectors offer scalability and fast load times, which are key for responsiveness. On the other hand, bitmap graphics might offer richer detail but could slow down performance. Figuring out the best approach will help us balance quality and performance for Rive-powered websites.

Wrapping Up

While Rive is primarily seen as a tool for animations, its potential to build entire websites with rich media experiences is what truly excites me. We’ve moved far beyond the days of Flash, but Rive might just bring back some of that immersive magic, in a way that’s suited for today’s standards of performance, responsiveness, and interactivity. These are just a few of the questions I’ll be exploring as I dive into the world of Rive, and I’d love for you to join me on this journey.