Jeremy Kratz » Design

A History of Windows Desktop Backgrounds

Jeremy — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:03:48 +0000

Ah, the desktop background image. Is there any better way to express one’s individuality than by changing your computer’s default wallpaper to a photo of kittens, babies, or scantily clad women? The desktop is the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing you see at night, and it’s a great way to remind your coworkers of your awesome personality when you lock your computer for lunch.

Similarly, the factory-default background image is the first thing you see when you get a new computer or install a new operating system. First impressions are everything, so it’s not surprising that one single image can be the driving force behind how a new OS is perceived.

Since Windows 7 launches in less than 2 days, I thought it might be nice to reflect on the default backgrounds Microsoft used on each version of Windows.

Windows 95/98 – Clouds

Windows 95 was (I believe) the first Microsoft OS to include a default background image. Keeping with the OS’s Windows-logo-in-the-sky marketing imagery, the image displayed simple white clouds on a blue background. Windows 98 kept the clouds when it released.

Windows 2000 – Clouds, Boxes, Skydiving

Windows 2000 was an all-business OS, directed more at corporations than home users. Microsoft dialed back the clouds into a more muted blue background and included a couple of transparent gradient boxes and the Windows logo. The silhouette of a trapeze artist makes you think the graphics team had a wall of motivational posters in their conference room.

Windows Me – No More Clouds

Windows Me (Millennium Edition) was marketed as the consumer-level counterpart to Windows 2000. Its default background image reinforced this, and borrowed Win2k’s colors, gradient boxes, and Windows logo, but ditched the clouds, the trapeze artist, and any chance of being considered a successful product.

Windows XP – Bliss

Probably one of the most-recognized photos in the world now, Windows XP’s default background was an image of a rolling green hill, deep blue skies, and puffy white clouds. Captured by Charles O’Rear, the photo was taken in California’s Sonoma Valley region in 1996, and was the basis for Microsoft’s XP marketing push. This photo was the first step in a new direction for Windows, as Microsoft abandoned the angular gunmetal-gray toolbars and buttons of previous versions, concentrating instead on a rounded, colorful, and friendlier user interface.

Windows Vista – Aerotic

Five years after Windows XP, Microsoft released Windows Vista in 2007. Vista’s selling point was a prettier, shinier, translucent interface from the distant future, and its default desktop image was no exception. Composed of abstract line art twisting over rays of light, the image made it clear that Vista was not simply a rehash of XP, which may not have been such a good thing.

Windows 7 – Back to Nature

Many say that Windows 7 is what Vista should have been—a worthy successor to XP. Looking at 7’s default desktop image, you might think that Microsoft agrees. The image is more abstract than XP’s Bliss, but the use of imagery may be a throwback to it. Each of the 4 sections of the Windows logo is packed full of nature: a tree, a butterfly, a bird, and blades of grass. Wisps of wind curl around the logo, and a single blade of grass reaches in from the bottom left. The entire image is glossed over with generous amounts of lens flare. It’s not a far reach to see this new scene right at home on top of that green California hill.

Looking Back

You can quickly see how the Windows brand has developed over the years just by looking at each version’s default desktop background. Microsoft started with clouds, moved on to landscapes, experimented with abstract imagery, and has more recently moved back to nature.

If you look at how Apple’s desktop images have progressed, you’ll see a different, shorter path. OS X started with the abstract and later moved into space. MS seems to be pushing Windows as the OS for everyone on Earth, while portraying Macs as the platform of choice for billionaire astronauts.

So does a background image really matter that much? Probably not. Most people change theirs as soon as they boot up for the first time. It’s really an issue of branding, just like your cell phone’s default ringtone. And just like ringtones, there will always be users who never change their desktop image. So I’m glad that Windows seems to be taking the time to give us some well-crafted defaults. I hate the Nokia theme song.

Resource Overload

Jeremy — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:10:23 +0000

I love Digg, Smashing Magazine, Vandelay Design, Tuts+, and many more sites that offer web design resources. They always have great articles on techniques and examples, and I learn something from them every day.

I only have one complaint about these sites, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing: I feel that they offer too much information in each post.

Take, for example, the front page of Digg’s Design section this morning:

The most popular articles are collections of 40 or 50 links. If each link is a tutorial, and I’m interested in just 10% of the links, it could take me a couple of days to run through them. Before I’m done with the tutorials from one collection, another site has posted another list of 40–50. It’s very easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information that is out there.

By comparison, take a look at A List Apart’s front page from the same day:

ALA’s format is a bit different; every few weeks they post 2 articles on design theory or technique. This approach is more relaxed; visitors can focus on articles at their leisure before new content is posted. When I read something on A List Apart, I can be sure that the content will be well-researched, well-edited, and very useful; I don’t get the same assurance from the 31^st tutorial in a list of 50.

So, how can you manage resource overload? You may be a better multitasker than me, so you might not even consider overload to be a problem. But if you do, here are some suggestions:

Keep a list of bookmarked tutorials/articles that you want to read. Check them off as you finish them, and don’t be afraid to prune the list if it gets too long.
When you find an interesting article, skim through it first to make sure it’s worth your time. If it doesn’t look like a high-quality resource, move on to something else.
Focus on sites that provide links to high-quality content. It’s easy to find sites that aggregate links simply to generate ad revenue; these sites usually have no quality control and aren’t that helpful.

And remember, you don’t have to learn everything when you see it. It’s more important to be aware of what’s out there so you can find it when you do need it.

Hugo Awards Logo

Jeremy — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:00:52 +0000

I’m very happy to announce that my submission in the Hugo Awards logo contest was selected as the winner.

The contest called for designs based on the Hugo trophy, designed in 1984 by Peter Wetson. I used the dimensions of the trophy for the symbol, splitting it into 4 simple shapes that can easily be modified for different color schemes. The text is set in Futura (what else could it be?).

My goal was to create a mark that could be used at any size with only a single color, and would work well in many different settings (’winner’ stickers for books, engraved on trophies & plaques, websites, merchandise, etc.). I also wanted to create something that was not tied to a single color scheme.

Here are some variations of the final design:

Avoiding Design Depression

Jeremy — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 03:10:56 +0000

Inspiration is a great thing. As web designers, we have free, instant, easy access to samples of work from other designers all around the world.

Which means inspiration can also be a problem.

When you’re working within a small group, such as in an office or classroom, it’s very easy to rank yourself among your colleagues. If you’re close to the top of your peers, you can clearly see whose talent outweighs your own. You can study those people and learn from them.

When you’re comparing your work with a larger group, such as the entire Internet, you have very little grasp on where your skills fit on the spectrum.

The problem I have is that a lot of the work I see seems light years ahead of my own. There are two possible reasons for this: I’m either a very below-average designer (quite possible), or I am setting an unfair standard for my work by focusing on some of the most talented designers in the industry.

Let me illustrate this problem with a scenario that might be familiar to you:

I’m working on a small project for a client; I’m probably 75% complete. After a string of frustrations (scope creep, lack of content, slow client response time), I decide to read a few blogs during a break. I see a gorgeous new site (usually designed by someone younger than me and/or sporting some terrible facial hair). I then obsess over the site for several minutes, digging into all the sections, noting how certain elements were handled. The next time I start working on my project again, I’m comparing my own work to the awesome site I just saw. This can often be depressing, as I’m often comparing a small locally-focused site to an international-level project that probably took months to complete.

So how can you avoid derailing your workflow when you see a shiny new object?

First, you could avoid looking at other sites altogether. The only problem is, you’d never learn anything new, and your work would stagnate.

Next, you could just force yourself to be happy with your work and never let anybody else’s designs get you down. Turns out, it’s really hard to change your emotional reactions.

So I think the only practical advice I can offer is this:

Don’t look for added inspiration when you’re in the middle of a project.

When you’ve committed yourself to a design, you need to keep moving forward. Getting distracted once a large chunk of work is already behind you is a quick way to miss a deadline and lose future work. The best option you have is to draw an imaginary line on your schedule and tell yourself to stop looking at other people’s work until your invoice is out the door.

Once you’re done with the project and have some downtime (or at least when you’re about to start on your next job), spend some time to catch up on your inspiration-hunting. The best time to brainstorm new ideas is when you actually have time to implement them.