The Outline is a 90s site design built with today's technologies
Yesterday, Joshua Topolsky’s new brain child, The Outline launched to the world. You’re likely familiar with Topolsky’s work, he was at Engadget prior to co-founding The Verge and then had a short stint at Bloomberg. Oh and he’s also made some appearances on Jimmy Fallon. Anyway, his new site launched yesterday so I took a second to check it out.
According to Topolsky’s welcome post, The Outline is “a new kind of publication for a new kind of human.” I’m not exactly sure what that means, but let’s roll with it for now.
Immediately after visiting the site, I felt a great amount of 90s nostalgia wash over me and it seems I’m not alone with that sentiment. Some tweets below (including one from yours truly).
Anyone feel like the @outline site is like a 90s design built with today’s technologies? And I don’t mean that in a bad way.
— Jeff Weisbein (@jeffweisbein) December 5, 2016
The Outline makes me feel like the 90s threw up on my iPad. Be interesting to see if Snapchat meets news really works. pic.twitter.com/dPZK381TV4
— Danny Sullivan (@dannysullivan) December 5, 2016
Oh man, this is like Raygun or Wired magazine in the 90s when nobody could read anything “The Outline” https://t.co/DzWD58Rlve
— Les Orchard ❄️☃🎄🔥 (@lmorchard) December 6, 2016
This @outline design puts me off reading any articles. Retro 90s? https://t.co/FN7rLIe5bt A site about the future with no future.
— manni (@manniKraemer) December 6, 2016
@outline looks like a 90s @trapperkeeper optimized for mobile. which is pretty cool
— Ben Muessig (@benmuessig) December 5, 2016
Reactions to the very 90s-esque design seem mixed, I’m going to guess it’ll prove very popular with the site’s ideal demographic (millennials aka me) who it will remind of fun and stress-free times in their lives.