Using HTML5 for Animated Banner Ads

GIF vs HTML5—which one do our web developers use to create banners and why?

Animated banner ads can be created in GIF or HTML5 formats. What’s the difference between the two?

A GIF file consists of a series of frames that play in a sequence, creating a looping animation. HTML5 banners, on the other hand, are programmed with multiple lines of code and images. 5 Horizons’ Front End Development team thinks HTML5 ad banners are superior to GIF ones for these three reasons:

1. Interactivity

Developers use different scripts such as CSS and JavaScript to create HTML5 banners. This gives them creative freedom to build engaging online HTML5 banner designs. GIFs, however, are looping animated images, which means they lack interactive elements and smooth transitions.

2. Size

GIF banner ads are bulky, which can pose major complications when uploading to the clients’ platform of choice. Whereas HTML5 ads are small bits of code that load quickly and stay under the required platform file size. For this reason, HTML5 is the preferred file size for most vendors.

3. Color

It’s no surprise that the 8-bit GIF file is slowly becoming obsolete in the digital ad space since it offers a low range of only 265 colors. Comparing that to HTML5 banners, which can display about 16.7 million colors while still loading faster than GIF files.

HTML5 banner ads are vibrant, dynamic, and their technology is improving day by day, while GIF ads are slowly falling by the wayside. Digital marketing experts at 5 Horizons stay up-to-date on industry standards, trends, and innovations. Contact us if you want to place high-quality banner ads or have any other advertising needs.