Last summer at the Build Responsively Workshop we did a Skype chat with Ethan Marcotte, a designer who is best known for a) coining the term “responsive web design” and b) being quick with an animated gif. During the call he was asked to drop a few of his favorite gifs:
“So random,” I thought, “yet so useful. Why waste my time with the written word when I can instead turn my attention to this revived relic of the Dot-Com boom?” Shortly thereafter I created an account on Reddit and started saving my favorite gifs, usually reaction-worthy or completely random, to a Dropbox folder (once you start a gif addiction you don’t want to risk being without them).
While the creator of the Graphics Interchange Format, Steve Wilhite, pronounced the acronym with a soft “G” sound (“Choosy Developers Choose GIF”) the more common (and generally accepted) pronunciation has a hard “G.” Some people get really up in arms about this – unless you’re old enough to have used CompuServe I’d recommend you stick with the hard “G.”
Without further adieu, I present the top 10 gifs from my personal library (in no particular order):
Excellent, everything’s going according to plan…
The Black Keys have a track record of creating quirky music videos (see Tighten Up, Howling for You, and the super-high-budget Lonely Boy music video) but only Next Girl features a mischievous dinosaur puppet, which is pretty cool.
Kiss Cam
Ever been caught on the kiss cam sitting next to a woman who isn’t with you? That could be an awkward position or it could be a great gif.
Depressed Dog
We all have those days where we just want to grab a blanket and curl up in the corner of our cages.
Ron Swanson at the Snakehole Lounge
If Teddy Roosevelt, Tom Selleck, one of those old-time strongmen, and the Grumpy Cat meme were to have a child together it would probably be someone like Ron Swanson. Swanson, a character portrayed by Nick Offerman on NBC’s Parks and Recreation, is usually a gruff cynic who owns a cabin in the woods, buries gold in his yard (plus decoy gold to throw off his ex-wives, both named Tammy), and is the namesake of “The Swanson”, a bacon-wrapped turkey leg sold by a food cart on the show. Other times he has a bit too much to drink and becomes internet gold.
There is No Need to Be Upset
If you can explain this gif to me I’d be eternally grateful.
Stop! Loading Time.
In a world of spinners, beach balls, and progress bars sometimes a loading gif needs a little more…MC Hammer.
Oh, the Hue-Manatee!
I’m a simple man; I like quiet nights watching TV with my wife, strong, black coffee, and color-related puns.
Sharks in the Sky
Just when you thought it was safe to go near the water again…
Dog on a Trampoline
If there was one gif to summarize pure bliss it would be this one.
A Dolphin Doesn’t Care
This one’s just silly enough that it makes me laugh every time I see it.
