88x31 Pixels of Personality

Before my time, in the early days of the internet, people used to design their own websites on various platforms. These websites were infinitely customizable in contrast to the social media profiles we use now. Since the websites were not connected by a common platform, it was customary to link to other personal websites, to form what’s know as a web-ring. To make the links more enticing, they were vibrantly displayed in the form of these buttons, which all had the de-facto standard size of 88 x 31 pixels. The buttons were also often used to represent ideas, values or interests and a wall of buttons therefore conveys the personality of those who put them there. Below is an example of an 88x31 button.

The origin of this size seems to be from buttons made by the popular GeoCities, but the source is not credible. The 88x31 buttons have had a resurgence lately, as retro web design has been on the rise, especially on the GeoCities spiritual successor NeoCities. I decided to make some of my own buttons, which are displayed below. You can copy them if you like.

I also went on a scavenger hunt for 88x31 buttons, and collected some of my favourites. Each button has a link attached, and clicking them leads to a relevant webpage.