Old school on the web…

I recently came across a bunch of old Geocities screenshots lying around in a folder on my computer. I wanted to unearth these gems and share them with a wider audience. Sometimes it’s good to look back on what came before  - mostly so that we don’t repeat horrible mistakes, but also to get a reference point. There’s plenty of people surfing the web right now that have no idea what Geocities even was (a free place to stick your home page that started back in 1995). In 15 years a lot has happened on the web and web designers (well, most of us) have evolved and refined our craft so that websites are not only pleasing to look at, but user-friendly (well, most of them). It seems every year there are new technologies or new ways to interact in the online world.

I remember what the web was in 1993. I remember who my ISP was back then too – Delphi. It was basically just usenet, a bunch of MUDs (yes, I was a nerd before it was cool), and text-based chat rooms. I actually thought it was pretty amazing to be “chatting” with people around the world … until of course I got the first bill which I believe was $300+ for “internet overcharges”. Nevertheless, I was there when this whole thing was in its infancy.

Within a short matter of time (give or take a couple years) websites were actually starting to take shape. There were now images on this internet thing (yes, that was a big deal back then) and multiple pages and ways to email people right off their site by filling out a form. Netscape Navigator was the be all, end all of browsing experiences.

In 1994 I got the inkling that this stuff would change everything. While I was still messing around with Photoshop 2.0 and discovering graphic design, what the internet was doing was catching enough of my attention that when Geocities launched I had signed up for an account and put up my very first web page dedicated to the CD and mixtape cover art I was designing for people at the time.  I really wish I had some screen shots of that!

After getting canned from a dead end job and with nothing better to do with a degree in Studio Art I sat around in my L.A. apartment and taught myself HTML (with Netscape Composer). By the end of 1995, I put up the first website for an actual client. That did indeed change everything for me because I ended up making a career off the internet more than just graphic design. And needless to say the internet has definitely changed the world since those early days.

Oh, right – that stash of screen shots … I’ll just tag them to the end of this so you can all marvel at the wonders of early web design … (click for more majestic views)

(so many amazing tiled backgrounds …)

( o_O )

(cheese!)

(this was like, high-end back in the day!)

And where would we have been without animated gifs?!

Or those awesome ad banners ….

I hope you’ve enjoyed this trip down memory lane. Have a great weekend, folks!

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