Excerpted from a job application I submitted earlier, in response to the question: “What’s your experience with web design, HTML/CSS, and being awesome?”
Before the age of the internets, I used to save fonts from other people’s computers onto floppy disks because I apparently wanted to accumulate an impressive library of typefaces. In 1998, I launched my first “web site” on Angelfire and it shamefully involved marquees and possibly a few animated gifs as well. In my defense, that was during those awkward preadolescent days. Many years down the line, I had taught myself HTML and CSS and started reading on concepts like “web standards”, “validation”, and “accessibility”, realizing that there was much more to web browsing than (*shudder*) Internet Explorer. At the same time, I also fiddled around with graphics programs and followed tutorials to figure out how things worked in Photoshop because of an obsession with making pretty sites.
There’s more that I wrote, but it’s (even) less exciting and thus not included here. Answering the prompt really brought back a lot of memories, though — for example, recollections of how my love of typography extended into calligraphy and an uncanny ability to identify typefaces by sight (of course, this was when there were a lot fewer to keep track of). Also, instead of judging books by their cover, I’d assess whether their chosen fonts were appealing. Then there were those hours in middle school when I would hang out in the library to gain access to the Internet. I’m sure it comes as a shock that I was considered a huge nerd. Wait, I should probably get rid of that past tense… Even as some things change, others stay the same!
Hahaha woman, that’s an awesome answer! Knowing me, I’d probably write something long and utterly boring. (Because I often had the preconception that job applications are supposed to be formal.)
I’d take a cue from you when it’s my turn.
Awwww. The mental image of awkward little preadolescent Elea with her computer and fonts and angelfire page warms the heart.
You may be a nerd, but at least you are cute while doing it.
Wow that sounds so similar to my history. It’s amazing how much things have changed (and how some stuff stays the same, of course).
I have a similar background, but switch Angelfire with Geocities.
Also as a note: put commas, periods, and other similar grammatical devices inside quotes. I can give “this,” “this,” and “this,” as examples. It’s awkward, but correct (at least it’s how I was taughted.)
I remember sitting at the library at school updating my geocities site and searching the net for animated gifs. I remember thinking I was God’s gift to webdesign because of my mad skills. Ah, those were the days!
I was the same way with fonts. I find in hard to believe that I wasn’t called a nerd. I kept to myself and didn’t really bother anyone but I would even buy disc with fonts on it. I would sit at my computer for hours downloading. Fun it was. Memories. .