The text in illuminated medieval manuscripts usually included intricately beautiful dropcaps decorated with characters, gold leaf, florals, and more. These letters were miniature works of art, and are the ancestors of modern typography. Fast forward about a thousand years, and GIF artists have not forgotten the power of letters—even if they mainly work in moving pictures. Typography is an artform in itself, and these creators clearly understand that. Adam Osgood, Chris Piascik, Sanfok, and others blend movement, image, and writing to help up see the words we use every day in a new light. It’s like body language for writing, dropcaps for the 21st century. Someday we’ll be opening up a book and the first letter of the chapter just might be a GIF.
See more typographical GIFs on GIPHY.
Videos by VICE
Want to see your GIFs in our weekly Six-Pack? Email beckett.mufson@vice.com to submit your work.
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