Overview
30 years ago this year, the humble GIF was born – as a still image format. Animation, the only reason people are still using GIFs in 2017, was an afterthought, and that explains almost everything you need to know about it. The GIF’s anarchic, DIY ethos has led to it becoming one of the main mediums of communication online. And yet as something that conquered the world accidentally, it’s also a uniquely difficult medium to work in – finicky in its behaviour and tough to make look good, a massive, antiquated file that can slow page loads to a crawl.
imgix lead designer Miguel Cardona knows GIFs well. He’s been making them since 1998, and as creative lead at the company that powers visuals for top internet brands, he and his team are working on ways to realize the promise of GIFs while minimizing its baggage. In this talk, Miguel will take an in-depth look at the history and specifications of GIFs, and share techniques and tactics for making GIFs that not only look good, but perform well.
Target Audience
Designers
Five Things Audience Members Will Learn
- A brief history of GIFs, and how it informs their use and limitations
- When to use GIFs, and when they should be avoided
- Best practices for designing and implementing striking and emotionally impactful animations
- Performance tricks to make GIFs look good and perform well
- More about the file formats looking to replace GIF
