Create dynamic interface elements

Most websites have the same elements in their user interface, such as menus and buttons. With an intelligent structure under the hood, you can reuse components in various projects with dramatically different visuals. This saves you from redoing the basics every time and enables you to focus on the fun, creative parts of the process.

In this tutorial, I will share some techniques we use extensively in our work at Fantasy Interactive. While our approach can be used for many elements, I've decided to concentrate on a simple widget in order to explain in detail how to set it up so the design can be changed with minimal work. Because there's a lot to communicate, the final files are on the disc, and I've chosen to walk you through the individual pieces and logic step by step.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

TOPICS

The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of eight full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Ecommerce Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Editor, Digital Art and 3D Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Beth Nicholls and Staff Writer Natalie Fear, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq. 

Latest in Creative Careers
image of a head surrounded by technology on a pink background
Why you need to trust your gut in creative projects
A day in the life; Sanjay Trimbakkar; vfx director
A day in the life: FutureWorks' visualisation director Sanjay Trimbakkar
Kieron Lewis headshot - man in an orange shirt
"It was only when I took a step back that folks started to notice": A day in the life of graphic designer Kieron Lewis
The Cameron Twins
A day in the life: The Cameron Twins
Mark Hauser
A day in the life: applied behavioural scientist Mark Hauser
Day in the life, Jerad Marantz; a man in glasses
A day in the life: creature designer Jerad Marantz
Latest in How to
Rob Redman's snowy image illustrates the AE tutorial: TDW313.PT_AE_Snow.indd
How to create realistic snow with particle systems using After Effects
Ivan Mironenko ZBrush character tutorial
Craft a game-ready character asset using ZBrush and Substance 3D Painter
Oliver Schümann ZBrush bizarre baby tutorial
Create a bizarre baby sculpture in ZBrush
Alireza Khoshpayam arch-viz tips
Speedy tips to create beautifully photoreal archviz using 3ds Max and Corona
Maya 3D abstract strands tutorial
How to easily create complex and abstract animation using Maya
Whiskytree battle damage effects tutorial
Create gnarly battle damage for vehicles using a mix of Maya and Nuke