The internet of yesterday is no more. Long gone are the days of HTML frames, kitschy border graphics and blinking scrolly-text. But from the ashes of the anarchy that was Web 1.0, there is one flavor of imagery that has lived on long past its own expiration date. The animated GIF’s role in today’s internet isn’t steeped purely in nostalgia, however. What was once a ubiquitous embellishment on the web pages of commoners and corporations alike is now so much more. Come with me as we explore the many faces of these versatile, digital zoetropes.




The GIF is unique because it’s a format generated as a direct result of the web’s creation. Even on the fastest connections 1992 had to offer, you weren’t going to be be able to see video of any sort. Nor would you be well-equipped to load regular images – not with any semblance of swiftness, at least. The solution was simple: tiny animated loops to give life to our otherwise flat and boring world wide web.Looking at it this way, it’s easy to see the GIF as a relic of the Web’s primordial ecology, one that has trickled into modern day internetting by persistently reviving its own relevance. But how can that be when things like CSS, Flash and YouTube have all but confirmed the GIF’s obsolescence?
The GIF has become especially relevant to those working in the realm of pixel art, where appreciation for the raw aesthetics of early computer graphics is the rule of law. Animators like Paul Robertson, who created the graphics for the recent Scott Pilgrim game as well as his own hugely popular animated internet cult films#, swear by the GIF as the prime means to deliver their gorgeously fluid mini-cartoons, which hearken back to the early days of arcade and videogame culture.This fascination with the aesthetics of digital imperfection has perhaps given rise to the recent popularity of pixel art, indie videogame development and chiptune music. No doubt the GIF’s continued presence throughout the years has resonated throughout these subcultures and many others.Read the full article on Motherboard.TV
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The GIF As A Natural Part Of The Web’s Ecology





The GIF As A Vehicle For Art & Animation


