GIF is Making a Comeback

Now that GIFs are retro, they are coming by and style. In reality it is Apple's decision to not support flash that have forced people to find new ways to add motion to their websites. It turns out the best way is the old way (cir. 1984 ‒ 90s). Photoshop's animation integration has made it easier than ever to animate your gifs and try to optimize them best for web, without annoying pixelation. There will be some in most cases, since you are limited to 256 colors. The animation panel now has an animation timeline to Adobe's AfterEffects timeline with position, opacity, and style  settings.

Best advice for animated gifs is too simplify images and color palette. You can do this by using simple shapes and color fields. I avoid using human faces because the face has so many gradations it is difficult to make anyone look good in a limited palette.

Photoshop also has tools such as posterize to help simplify the layers of color in an image. (This is a life saver for my online ads). Also always using save for web optimization will help insure you get the file right.

Is Print Dead?

The topic of print vs digital comes up a lot in the graphic design community. It comes up in popular society as well. More and more people are using internet as a means of communication and self promotion. Digital has its good and bad. With so many people using the internet you can grasp a variety of audience and try to attract them to your site, but with some many people it can be hard to target your specific niche (that is getting easier as coders are learning about seo and internet marketing). Social Media and blogs help direct companies to specific targets, but internet ads are easy to ignore and not very personal. (this could change in time)

With print is much more personal, and can be easier to target depending on the information you take from your customers. Print is very personal something you can touch and experience. I get a lot of junk mail, but I still have to hold it and physically take it to the recycle bin. I guarantee I spent more time with it than my junk emails. But If you create a well designed, postcard, brochure, or catalog I am much more likely to onto it. Getting mail, even more promotional, is more special and intimate experience than email. One mail piece I enjoy every time I get it in my mail is my Paper Source catalog. Everything has been thought out from products to design and color to paper choice. They took care to make this something that I want to hold onto and reference. Print costs more, but if you put in the effort you can get a more genuine and longer-lasting experience with clients.