Lovely bones: Student digs deep on the web

13 : 07 : 2012 Design : Glitch : Alain Vonck

Paris – For his Masters graphic design project, student Alain Vonck has created a book that celebrates the lost remnants of the early days of the internet.

For his project, Ruins, Vonck looked to the early web designs of the 90s for inspiration. By recovering and re-interpreting graphics, GIFs and icons from old Geocities accounts, he has produced a series of glitchy, distorted designs that celebrate the aesthetics of early digital culture.

‘I spent a lot of time on the internet when I was a teenager in the 90s. So I was really inspired by this era,’ explains Vonck. ‘The first aesthetic of the internet was amateur and Utopian. It was made by the users and it was free. It was an internet of experience where everything was possible.’

LS:N Global has previously reported on the rise of Digital Archaeology, in which designers are looking to the early web for inspiration. For a practical guide to applying this aesthetic, see our Digital Surrealism Toolkit.

Discover More Daily Signals
Mongolia brings ancient dress systems to the Winter Olympics

Daily Signals

Mongolia brings ancient dress systems to the Winter Olympics

Mongolia has unveiled the ceremonial and casual outfits for its team at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, using the global sporting sta...
Sport : Fashion : Luxury
Foresight Friday: Alison Farrington, foresight content manager

Daily Signals

Foresight Friday: Alison Farrington, foresight content manager

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues and ideas we’re all talking about. This week, foresight content manager Alison ...
China : Lunar New Year : Foresight Friday
Stat: Gen Z switches off the news feed

Daily Signals

Stat: Gen Z switches off the news feed

New research from Adobe Express points to a shift in how information is accessed in the UK. Just 8% of Gen Z adults consume news content, according...
Media : Technology : Statistic
Can mixed-reality theatre re-invent the stage?

Daily Signals

Can mixed-reality theatre re-invent the stage?

An Ark, a mixed-reality theatre experience at The Shed in New York, is exploring how digital technology can transform live performance while preser...
Immersive Theatre : Media : Entertainment
Prada excavates the past to shape menswear’s future

Daily Signals

Prada excavates the past to shape menswear’s future

Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada’s autumn/winter 2026 menswear collection presented at Fondazione Prada in Milan, Italy, was an exercise in layered arc...
Fashion : Luxury : Society
Stat: Youth employment anxiety rises as AI threatens entry-level roles

Daily Signals

Stat: Youth employment anxiety rises as AI threatens entry-level roles

A growing majority of young people in the UK are entering work with deep anxiety about their career prospects, according to new research from the K...
Workplace : Society : Statistic
Will.i.am launches Trinity EV as AI-first solution for urban mobility

Daily Signals

Will.i.am launches Trinity EV as AI-first solution for urban mobility

Musician and entrepreneur Will.i.am has launched Trinity, a single-passenger, three-wheeled electric vehicle (EV) that is designed around an AI agent.
Mobility : Technology : Sustainability
Gap creates chief entertainment officer role to drive fashiontainment

Daily Signals

Gap creates chief entertainment officer role to drive fashiontainment

Gap Inc has appointed Pam Kaufman as its first-ever chief entertainment officer, a newly created role designed to develop a ‘fashiontainment’ platf...
Fashion : Entertainment : Media
Stat: Nearly a third of children starting school are struggling with basic analogue skills

Daily Signals

Stat: Nearly a third of children starting school are struggling with basic analogue skills

Nearly a third of children starting reception in England and Wales are struggling with basic analogue skills, revealing a widening gap between home...
Screen Time : Technology : Child Development
How building Bishoftu Airport positions Ethiopia as African travel epicentre

Daily Signals

How building Bishoftu Airport positions Ethiopia as African travel epicentre

Ethiopia has broken ground at Bishoftu International Airport, a new mega-hub designed by Zaha Hadid Architects that aims to become the largest avia...
Travel : Infrastructure : Airport
You have 2 free Daily Signals remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN