Beyond JPG: A Modern Web Designer's Guide to Image Formats For years, JPEG, PNG, and GIF have been the undisputed workhorses of web imagery. They are reliable and universally supported. But as websites become more complex and user expectations for speed and quality grow, relying solely on this classic trio can mean leaving performance on the table. Fortunately, a new generation of image formats has emerged to solve these problems. Understanding the modern landscape—including WebP, AVIF, SVG, and APNG—is crucial for any designer or developer looking to build faster, sharper, and more efficient websites. The Classic Three: Still Relevant, But with Caveats Before diving into the new formats, it's worth remembering the roles of the originals, as they still serve as important baselines. JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group): The long-standing champion for photographs. Its lossy compression algorithm is excellent at drastically reducing the file size of complex, colorful images. It...