From Neanderthal to Business-Chic

Today in my Comm class, Professor Yoo showed us a very fascinating website.  We talked about search engines today and in the past.  He gave us this link: 

This Way to the Time Machine!

It is a website that allows one to find earlier formats of websites from their inception until today.  We looked up my school's website, which looks drastically different today than it did in 1996.  I am amazed not only at how far technology has advanced since the 90's, but also at the evolutions of design.  The 1996 Loyola website is humble in its appearance, with one picture, a logo, and 8 basic links on the cover page.  Today, there is a slideshow cover photo, links at the top and bottom of the page, and far more detail.  While the design of our website presents much more information than that of the past, it does not clutter or overwhelm the page.  There is far more emphasis invested in creating an interesting and inviting website.  As an advertising and public relations major, I fully understand the necessity of constructing an interactive and engaging home page; it is a prospective costumer's first introduction to a product, idea, or service.  The 1996 version of Loyola's page very clearly represents the primordial attempts of web design.  Since then, many steps have been taken to transform paragraphs on word document into an engaging work of design.  I think it is important to note how essential modern design is in marketing to the millennial generation.  We respond best to updated formats because that is all we have ever known.  I would even argue that we expect advertising and digital signage to be formatted correctly and with thought because this treatment has been applied to all visual communications of the current age.  I hope that a dedication to design and artistry, customizable to individual and group interest can continue into the future as well.