The GIF turns 30 today. We take a look at some of the classics.
30 years ago, online service provider CompuServe was in a conundrum. It needed a colour image format for its file downloading areas, to replace the black-and-white RLE format. Software developer Steve Wilhite came to the rescue with the GIF. So far, so boring.
We’re guessing that back then, nobody would have predicted that the GIF would undergo a phoenix-like transformation into a communication method beloved by internet users the world over. Or that it would enable an entire generation to express itself in a way that it just couldn't manage with mere words.
However you pronounce it (although let’s face it, only the pedants are trudging on with that ‘soft g’ rubbish), the GIF has changed the way we communicate online.
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To celebrate, Facebook has made GIFs available to use in the comments section and pulled together some pretty interesting stats on GIF usage in Messenger. Twitter is also in on the action, with users getting their GIF on to help mark the occasion.
⚡️ “Celebrate the 30th birthday of the GIF with the #HappyBirthdayGIF party! https://t.co/e4UJb41QRM ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/2uqIuYRu02June 15, 2017
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The GIF turns 30 today! Which Star Wars @GIPHY is your favorite? #HappyBirthdayGIF https://t.co/HXt6J4mMc6 pic.twitter.com/mzTgGRn5MnJune 15, 2017
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Hope you get lots of GIFts.#HappyBirthdayGIF pic.twitter.com/Nh40iio3ZCJune 15, 2017
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Saying hey to 30 like... #HappyBirthdayGIF pic.twitter.com/blvpwByAuY15 June 2017
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Hard G for life. #HappyBirthdayGIF pic.twitter.com/TfL0wtsExa15 June 2017
Ruth spent a couple of years as Deputy Editor of Creative Bloq, and has also either worked on or written for almost all of the site's former and current design print titles, from Computer Arts to ImagineFX. She now spends her days reviewing small appliances as the Homes Editor at TechRadar, but still occasionally writes about design on a freelance basis in her spare time.
