The Internet Turned 50, But How Did it All Begin?

As 2019 draws to a close, we look back on the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Internet, and how technology has advanced ahead of 2020.

The creation of the internet occurred in 1969, originally under the name ARPANET through experiments performed by scientists from UCLA, MIT and Imperial College London. The “founding fathers” of the Internet are largely recognised as MIT Engineer and Office Director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency, Lawrence Roberts, packet Switching creators Paul Baran, Donald Davies and Computer Scientist and UCLA Professor, Leonard Kleinrock. Roberts was the leader of the team, with the project’s creation originally devised for the United States Department of Defense.

The very first “host to host” ARPANET connection was made at 10.30pm on 29th October 1969 between UCLA and the Stanford Research Institute, which are over 300 miles apart.

The details of the night’s events have since been described in a UCLA article.

SRI (Stanford Research Institute) programmer Bill Duvall, and UCLA student programmer Charley Kline were responsible for the first connection. Kline connected from UCLA’s SDS Sigma 7 Host computer (in Boelter Hall room 3420) to the Stanford Research Institute’s SDS 940 Host computer. Kline typed the command “login,” but initially the SDS 940 crashed. About an hour later, after Duvall adjusted parameters on the SDS 940, Kline tried again and successfully logged in to the SDS 940. Hence, the first two characters successfully transmitted over the ARPANET were lo.”

The first permanent ARPANET link and network was later secured in the following months prior to Christmas that year. “Internet pioneers” Bob Kahn and Vince Cerf went on to develop it into what we now refer to as the internet, however it would be another 20 years before the development of the World Wide Web and internet browsers. English scientist and Oxford graduate Tim Berners-Lee created both whilst working for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland between 1989 and 1990.

You may be surprised to think that so many years have gone by when it seems like only yesterday to many, it was an era before Apple was King, but for some, our age of great technology is all they’ve known. And since the 1990’s the speed of technological developments have only increased. Today things are very different, we now have easy access to PCs, laptops and smartphones, fibre-optic broadband is practically in every house, and we’ve had major developments in web design and social networking from the creation of open-source software, graphic user interfaces, Google, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

 

 

Why Hiring a Web Design Team for 2020 is Vital

2020 is predicted to see the greatest increase in technological advancements in digital and online platforms so far, from shopping orders to social media, it is becoming increasingly vital for companies to maintain a strong online presence when it comes to marketing their business. With technology on the rise daily, companies will gain more and more opportunities to expand and compete digitally. Many don’t see the importance of having a website, and the idea of creating one can appear daunting so they either avoid doing it or hire someone who isn’t an expert.

You may be thinking why bother or why hire a designer? If you’re nervous at the thought of moving your company online, this article is here to tell you why you needn’t be sceptical. We are here to help make the transition as easy as possible. And with 3.8 billion people across the globe currently using the internet, there are so many opportunities available online to help you access new customers and clients. Marketers and potential clients use the internet to find companies they can trust, and having a well established site shows credibility.

All businesses need a website to successfully market their brand online. Without one, many customers and clients will feel this reflects badly on how up to date you are with running your company. And with the competition being high, you want a site that wows. If your website is poorly designed, it will directly reflect badly on your brand. If the site is old and outdated, it will immediately put customers off from visiting your site. A website always needs to be user friendly. Customers must be able to clearly see what it is your business does, access any information on products and sales, as well as be able to find contact details easily. If they are unable to do this, you are at risk of customers not being able to contact you, you could lose sales and be subject to bad reviews online and a bad Google ranking. In fact, whether you have a good website or not can be a deciding factor in whether your business fails or succeeds.

Relying on someone who isn’t trained in web design to design your website can not only leave you out of pocket with a poorly designed web page, it can leave you without reliable support or technical help if things go wrong. A lot of sites offering downloadable website builders do not offer you the advice or guidance to support a professional web build, they offer very basic designs at high prices, and many don’t allow support for video, RSS feeds and other links. Professional web designers are kept constantly up to date on current trends and developments occurring in the world of web. Knowledge on the latest news and developments enables them to directly create websites and programs specifically targeted to your brand or business. Professional web design is worth the investment when looking at high quality, custom built design. And at Moocow we don’t just design your website, our packages include domain and hosting, coding, optimisation, user-bility, research and strategy, development, SEO and UX, and eCommerce integration. Our professional design team provide friendly, consistent and ongoing technical support, and are able to offer advice and knowledge when something goes wrong. The benefits of having qualified developers help you make the move into going digital are huge. We love being able to watch the businesses we have helped thrive and expand their brand successfully. So if you’re yet to take the leap into creating a website for your company, or have been anxious about making changes to your current site, we hope our advice puts you at ease and helps you get a few steps closer to making the most out of your business.

What’s New for Responsive Web Design in 2020?

At Moocow, we make sure you’re up to date with all the latest UX/UI know-how, ensuring your site gets the attention it deserves. With technology and techniques developing daily, take a look at what 2020 has in store for responsive design.

For web design newcomers or those looking to get an insight into how we create our sites at Moocow Media, responsive design is fundamentally the method of using CSS to generate a web page which re-adjusts and arranges itself to display its content correctly on any sized device. This technique works side-by-side with mobile first.

Companies now only need to buy a single site which squeezes all the best info from your web page and efficiently displays readable content on any gadget, whether it’s a desktop, tablet or mobile device. Not only does this save you a small fortune, it also allows customers to benefit from having a website that will allow Google to enhance its rankings. And as Google now only promotes sites which are designed for mobile devices also, it’s really the only choice for your website. Sites that aren’t mobile-friendly will be digitally wiped off the map.

Mobile First

Over the last year we’ve focused a lot on the importance of making sure your website is mobile first. And with m-commerce transforming and developing daily, making sure your site is mobile first is vital for the successful functioning of your business and web page. Mobile transactions are set to rocket in 2020, with the vast majority of orders already being made from mobile devices accessing your website. So if you’re still yet to update your site to mobile first, make this your new year’s resolution. Making sure your mobile site is responsive and easy to use is a number 1 priority, otherwise you risk customers not even being able to access your site in search engines at all.

Thumb-Friendly Mobile Navigation

2020 will see a step up in simply focusing on previously making your site mobile first. Sites are now being challenged with the task of making mobile sites “thumb-friendly” allowing for better ergonomic use, “user-friendliness” and increasing the ability to access site navigation with greater ease.

 

Source: Smashing Magazine

The above diagram shows a good example of how our hands naturally grip our phones and the restrictions in our thumbs natural manoeuvring across phone screens. Opting for bottom hand corner navigation, for menus, social media or contact buttons over traditionally placed top, right hand navigation could significantly help to improve UX. These changes might seem simplistic, but all add up when combined in providing a website that’s both customer and Google friendly.

Web Design Trends for 2020

As we approach the last stretch of 2019, businesses and designers alike are preparing for the creative trends set to take over 2020. With AI and interactive design becoming an evermore sought after technology, it’s not surprising that plenty of new web design features plan on largely incorporating websites with voice user interfaces, chat bots and other similar functionalities. But what else is trending?

It’s predicted that asymmetrical designs, broken grid layouts and microanimation will all be trending components for leading web design for 2020. A continuing popular feature is bold colours and minimalist layouts, which are proving to be a persistent theme from previous years. Take a look below to see some of the most in-demand styles and layouts to help you have that light-bulb moment and get your website prepped to be ahead of the game for the new year.

 

Microanimations and Illustration

These subtle, yet hypnotic creative twists to your web page design, can make all the difference in capturing a new audience, as well as showcasing your talent digitally which enables a sense of professionalism, no matter what industry you’re working in. Audiences like illustrations and animations that are unique, bold, colourful or fun, and add that little bit extra to help show personalisation of your company or products.

 

Source: Heco

Source: Ariel Wollek/Wix

Source: Smashmallow/Gifox

Source: Webflow

Source: Proud & Punch

 

Minimalist Layouts

Minimalist layouts allow for a stylish, sleek finish. Aim for homepages that aren’t text heavy, focusing more on visually appealing to your customers, whilst still bearing in mind the importance of a fast loading web page. This style of layout is great for not overloading the viewer with too much information, and works great for artistic or creative businesses looking to keep their site chic, but simple.

 

Source: Elegant Seagulls Design

Source: Yumi Lambert

Source: Club of Waves

 

Bold Colours and Typography

Bright colours and bold typography, with geometric, sans-serif or freestyle fonts are particular favourites for graphic design in 2020. Colour is psychologically proven to have a relationship with mood and has been used as a clever marketing tactic in advertising for years. Making your home page proudly loud is a great way to draw in viewers and mesmerise customers with websites dazzling and dripping with colour.

 

Source: SKTR./Awwwrds

Source: Black Futurism Festival 2019/WebDesignerDepot

Source: Adobe

Source: Gautier Maillard

Source: Nuture Digital