15 Years of Apple Homepages

I was looking at screenshots of Apple.com’s former homepages (using the Internet Archive Wayback Machine) and decided to compile them into a slideshow. With the exception of Apple’s homepage in 1997, it’s pretty remarkable how little the core design has changed:

After 15 years, the layout of Apple.com is still the same: prominently feature the latest product, with 3-4 little boxes below that highlight other recent products and company news. The homepage has become more evident and intuitive each year. Bigger pictures, less copy, bolder text, fewer items to click… It’s like a giant billboard. They stuck with a format that worked and continually refined it. [The two biggest changes: they moved the navigation bar to the top in 2000, then gave the entire site a facelift with the introduction of Leopard in 2007.]

It goes without saying that Apple’s strength is design, but their homepage deserves credit for being great for so long. Ever since its early days, Apple.com has moved in the direction of being more friendly, focused, simple, and beautiful.

Bonus: Take a look at how Microsoft, Dell, HP, IBM, and Sony’s homepages have evolved over the years. Much bigger redesigns.

…

La Lasagna Space Time Foam Installation

• Photoset - Permalink

HANGARBICOCCA BY THOMAS SARACENO

Argentinian artist Tomas Saraceno (born 1973) - installation view at HangarBicocca, Milan. (previously)

For On Space Time Foam, his new installation at the HangarBicocca, Saraceno conceived a large transparent membrane (which he amusingly calls la lasagna) that visitors can get into. Folded in three layers, it is suspended at 25-metres above the ground, providing a radical bodily experience. (An interview from Milan by Filipa Ramos)

Source

Beacon kinetic light installation

Chris O’Shea & Cinimod Studio - Beacon (2009)

Beacon is a kinetic light installation with a mind of its own. An array of emergency beacon lights interact with visitors, tracking their movement through the space, creating an immersive and playful experience. It is orchestrated in real-time by a bespoke control system, which uses tracking information from the cameras to coordinate interactive and highly responsive behavior.

Source

These watch display cases were designed for BlumLUX, an Indianapolis, Indiana based jewelry company, specializing in elegant men’s watches and accessories. The cases were intended to highlight many of the design elements present in the watches they are displaying. The profile curve and area for the logo mimic the shape of the face, and the surrounding texture picks up on the intricate details found in each watch. Each are made from solid 8/4 Walnut that is jointed, planed, and milled on the CNC. All three-dimensional surfacing is accomplished by simple curves and varying angle V-bits, which greatly reduced fabrication time while still providing the necessary texture. Source

Temporal Synapse Teaser. PROJECTiONE was invited to put together an art proposal for the New Wishard. We were amongst 27 artists that were chosen as finalists out of 550 applicants. Wishard is looking for art that speaks to our time, is for the people, and provides benefit to all the employees and visitors of the hospital. Our proposal looks at 6 elevator lobbies in the ambulatory care building. Below is the narrative, and images of the models and rendering we submitted. Source

 Glassified is a modified ruler with a transparent display to supplement physical strokes made on paper with virtual graphics. Because the display is transparent, both the physical strokes and the virtual graphics are visible in the same plane. A digitizer captures the pen strokes in order to update the graphical overlay, fusing the traditional function of a ruler with the added advantages of a digital, display-based system. We describe use-cases of Glassified in the areas of math and physics and discuss its advantages over traditional systems. Source

Danny MacAskill’s Imaginate. Two years in the making, street trials rider Danny MacAskill releases his brand new riding film. Whilst previous projects have focused on locations and journeys, MacAskill’s Imaginate sees Danny take a completely different approach to riding. Enter Danny’s mind and enjoy. Source

SOFLES. Ironlak sponsored artist Sofles demonstrates some impressive time-lapse painting. Source