The week in web design

It's tough to keep on top of the most exciting commentary in web design, so we've put together a handy list to make it easier for you. Here are some of this week's most interesting links.

01. The digital materiality of GIFs

The founder of Gifpop writes a riotous love letter to the GIF format, and discusses whether it's usefulness as a design material is being killed by its move into the mainstream.

02. Back to the future in 2016

A List Apart asked some of the smartest people in web design what new skills they're going to master in 2016 and what new focuses they intend to bring to their work.

03. Facebook and how UIs twist your words

This fascinating experiment explores how people feel about the same message when it's sent via three different UIs. In one UI, the sender is perceived as significantly more awkward, more desperate and less confident than they are when the same message is sent via different messaging systems. The post goes on to argue that UIs are part of user's digital body language, and that designers should be aware of their role in social UIs.

04. UI Garage

A gallery of design patterns for specific occassions, such as asking permission for something, 404s, onboarding, date pickers and so on. It's a good way to get an idea of how others are designing particular screens and UI elements.

05. Firefox OS is not helping the web

Mozilla dev Anne van Kesteren on how Firefox OS evolved from an ecosystem parallel to the web, and that the project should focus on the browser instead of making its own security system.

The most-used fonts from the 365 websites featured on TypeWolf in 2015. In the name of type diversity, the author recommends some alternatives for each one.

07. The past, present and future of Sketch

An interview with Bohemian Coding founder Pieter Omvleeon what the future holds for Sketch and how it is likely to fare against Adobe Comet.

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The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of seven full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Deals Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Digital Arts and Design Editor Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Abi Le Guilcher, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq.