# Data Gif Maker

Easily create and share data visualizations to help bring your stories to life.

- Launched: 2019/01/28
- Client: [Google](https://google.com)
- Studio: [Toaster](https://toaster.co/)
- Live: https://datagifmaker.withgoogle.com
- Stack: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Node.js, React
- Page: https://pim.dev/work/gif-maker

## About the project

Data GIF Maker was originally conceived by Google News Lab as a tool for data journalists, and built by Toaster agency. The original version launched on May 25, 2017, announced by Simon Rogers (Data Editor at Google News Lab). The initial version was intentionally simple: it allowed users to compare two terms using animated bar-style GIFs, primarily designed for visualizing Google Trends search interest data. The original tool was limited to comparing just two data points. Pim de Wit was involved as a developer on this original 2017 version.

The tool gained significant traction among journalists, educators, and content creators worldwide. People used it to compare everything from famous fonts to favorite dishes, from electoral college results to sports statistics. It was featured extensively in journalism training programs and educational curricula.

**Technology Stack (V1/V2):**
- HTML, CSS, JavaScript
- Canvas-based visualization rendering
- GIF export

**Key Technical Features (V1):**
- Two-term data comparison
- Single bar-style animated visualization
- GIF export

**Key Technical Features (V2):**
- Three-term data comparison (Rectangles template)
- Three visualization templates: Rectangles, Racetrack, Circles
- GIF export

## Results

The tool achieved widespread adoption across multiple sectors:

- **Journalism**: Adopted by major news organizations and journalism training programs. Featured in Google News Initiative training resources and the Virginia Press Association's visualization courses.
- **Education**: Used by educators for teaching data literacy. Described as useful for depicting Electoral College results and other educational datasets.
- **Business**: Adopted for presentations, reports, and social media content.
- **Global Reach**: Users worldwide created GIFs for diverse purposes ranging from data journalism to social media content.

## Credits

- [Davy McGeorge](http://davymacca.com/) (Technical Lead)
- [Jonny Thaw](https://jthaw.me) (Front End Developer, Creative Technologist)
- [Bryan Jhung](https://bryanjhung.com/) (Designer)
- Alex Thurman (Designer)
- Rozalia Jaki (Producer)
- James Philips (Art Director)
- [Blake Landry](https://cargocollective.com/blakeplandry) (Motion)

## Said about the project

> Data visualizations are an essential storytelling tool in journalism, and though they are often intricate, they don't have to be complex.
>
> — Simon Rogers, Data Editor, Google News Lab ([source](https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/google-news-initiative/make-your-own-data-gifs-our-new-too/))

## Press

- TechCrunch: [Google's Data GIF Maker lets you, uh, make data GIFs](https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/25/googles-data-gif-maker-lets-you-easily-make-basic-data-gifs/) — Noted it's "mostly geared toward journalists" but anyone can use it. Observed it only compares two topics and "isn't some GIF-centric version of Google Data Studio." GIF generation takes a while.
- Fast Company: [Google's New Viz Tool Makes Snappy GIFs Out Of Your Data](https://www.fastcompany.com/90127277/googles-new-data-viz-tool-makes-snappy-gifs-out-of-your-data) — Connected tool to Google News Lab's broader mission since 2015 of making Search data accessible to newsrooms. Described it as an "exceedingly simple tool to make an exceedingly simple data viz, without any special skills."
- Fortune: [Google GIF Maker Generates Data Graphics for Journalists](https://fortune.com/2017/05/26/google-data-gif-maker/) — Covered the tool's launch for journalist audience.
- The Next Web: [Google launches animation tool so you can turn boring data into cool GIFs](https://thenextweb.com/news/google-data-gif-maker) — Credited Simon Rogers by name. Criticized the lack of ability to show change over time. Called on Google to add that feature in future iterations.
- VentureBeat: [Google launches Data GIF Maker to help storytellers convey information through animations](https://venturebeat.com/mobile/google-launches-gif-making-tool-to-help-you-tell-simple-stories-using-2-data-points/) — Launch coverage focused on storytelling applications.
- Silicon Republic: [Google reveals new GIF maker, for journalists not in a rush](https://www.siliconrepublic.com/gear/google-data-gif-maker-journalists) — Mixed reception. Noted the tool falls somewhere between Google's successful and unsuccessful products.
- Digital Trends: [Data Gif Maker is Google's New Tool to Make Data More Digestable](https://www.digitaltrends.com/phones/google-data-gif-maker/) — General launch coverage.
- Android Headlines: [Google Data GIF Maker Converts Data Into GIFs](https://www.androidheadlines.com/2017/05/google-data-gif-maker-converts-data-gifs.html) — Launch coverage.
- The American Genius: [Google is spicing up presentations with GIF data](https://theamericangenius.com/google-gif-data/) — Launch coverage.
- GIGAZINE: [Google publishes "Data Gif Maker"](https://gigazine.net/gsc_news/en/20170526-data-gif-maker/) — International coverage (Japan).
- journalism.co.uk: [New tool from Google helps you to visualise data using GIFs](https://www.journalism.co.uk/new-tool-from-google-allows-you-to-visualise-data-using-gifs/) — Step-by-step example comparing Labour vs Conservative Party. Quoted Simon Rogers on mobile-first data viz. Noted tool does not perform data analysis itself.
- FlowingData: [Data visualization GIFs](https://flowingdata.com/2017/03/06/data-visualization-gifs/) — Pre-tool-launch coverage of the data GIF trend in journalism.
- GIJN: [Data GIF Maker (tagged resources)](https://gijn.org/lr-tags/data-gif-maker/) — Curated investigative journalism resources.
- Nieman Journalism Lab: [Data journalism becomes a global field](https://www.niemanlab.org/2018/12/data-journalism-becomes-a-global-field/) — Broader context on data journalism's mainstreaming.
- Lena Groeger: [Data Gifs and How to Make Them](https://lenagroeger.com/datagifs/) — Tutorial from the expert Simon Rogers cited in the launch blog post. GitHub repo: https://github.com/lenagroeger/gifs
- Tom Mullaney Blog: [Storytelling with Numbers Using Data GIF Maker](https://tommullaney.com/2019/03/24/data-gif-maker/) — Review of 2019 V2 update. Argued it was useful for educators teaching with small data sets, particularly Electoral College results.
- Common Sense Education: [Data GIF Maker Review for Teachers](https://www.commonsense.org/education/reviews/data-gif-maker) — Education-focused review of V2. Described three tools: Rectangles, Circles, and Racetrack. Useful for class polls, election results, storytelling.
- Virginia Press Association: [Creating an animated chart with Data GIF Maker](https://www.vpa.net/courses/google-visualization/lessons/creating-an-animated-chart-with-data-gif-maker/) — Part of Google Visualization training. Describes 3 graph types: Lollipop (Circles), Racetrack, and Sliding Bars (Rectangles).
- MakeUseOf: [Google's New Tool Turns Data Into Professional Animated GIFs](https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/google-data-professional-animated-gifs/) — Tutorial coverage.
- Medium: [Try it All with Google Data GIF Maker for Data Journalists in 3 Steps](https://kyleake.medium.com/try-it-all-with-google-data-gif-maker-for-data-journalists-in-3-steps-f158d798171e) — Step-by-step tutorial for data journalists.
- Medium: [Making GIFs to tell stories](https://medium.com/dataseries/making-gifs-to-tell-stories-1cd485975616) — 4-minute walkthrough using meat consumption data.
- Medium: [Google Tools: Helpful or Confusing?](https://medium.com/@ohoag/google-tools-helpful-or-confusing-b53f1252e7c6) — Discussed Data GIF Maker among other Google tools.
- Google Blog: [Make your own data gifs with our new tool](https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/google-news-initiative/make-your-own-data-gifs-our-new-too/) — V1 launch. Rogers identified as "Data Editor at the Google News Lab, Director of the Data Journalism Awards." References Lena Groeger as expert in data GIF storytelling. 5-step process described.
- Google Blog: [Using Data GIF Maker to compare data and tell stories](https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/google-news-initiative/using-data-gif-maker-compare-data-and-tell-stories/) — V2 update. Describes three new templates: Rectangles (expanded to 3 terms), Racetrack, Circles. 7-step process. Contact: newslabtrends@google.com.
- Google Blog: [Taking the initiative with data journalism](https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/google-news-initiative/taking-initiative-data-journalism/) — Broader data journalism initiative context.
- Google News Initiative: [Google Data GIF Maker Training](https://newsinitiative.withgoogle.com/resources/trainings/google-data-gif-maker/) — Official training. Part of "Elections" training course. Desktop Chrome only. Covers Google Trends integration workflow.

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