What is this '90s computer icon image I can't remember?
June 7, 2020 10:33 AM   Subscribe

What mid-90s computer icon am I thinking of? I can't quite put my finger on it, and it's driving me crazy. The icon included a sphere, a cylinder and a pyramid (I THINK?) clustered on the right, and I think they were shaded with gradients. I thought maybe it was a button in Claris Works if that helps narrow the era/genre, but as far as I can tell, the "drawing" icon is not it. Based on unsuccessful scouring, I *think* this was either Windows 95 or OS 8, but maybe not....

It is similar to the “broken image” icon from Netscape, but that’s not it, either.

(If it helps, this question was inspired by these vases, which have a very similar vibe to what I’m remembering.)

please hope me
posted by Charity Garfein to Computers & Internet (15 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
The Big Windows icons pack PNG icon?

https://www.pngguru.com/free-transparent-background-png-clipart-uhxzr
posted by mattdini at 10:45 AM on June 7, 2020 [1 favorite]


It is similar to the “broken image” icon from Netscape, but that’s not it, either.

For visual reference, see this Gizmodo article and the linked Quora post.
According to Hagan Rivers (neé Heller), the UI designer at Netscape from versions .0 through .4, it was a graphic designer named Marsh Chamberlin, who was actually responsible for all of Netscape’s graphic elements.

“Before the first version of Netscape, there wasn't a specific icon that meant ‘broken image,’ but there were placeholder images used for missing images in the product,” explained Rivers. “Marsh actually produced icons for broken image, missing image (two different things), and also the icons for the individual file types that might show up in a file listing.”
Derail over, back to the actual question.
posted by zamboni at 10:45 AM on June 7, 2020


This made me think of the Cyan opening logo at the start of Myst. Here's a video of it. Any chance that is what you are thinking of?
posted by past unusual at 10:57 AM on June 7, 2020




I can picture exactly what you're talking about even though I can't place it. But it might be helpful to know that I had zero interaction with Windows during this time, so if we're picturing the same thing it had to be something available for MacOS. So ClarisWorks (which we had) is a possibility. We also had the Mac version of Microsoft Kids FineArtist, but that had a very different aesthetic than what you're talking about.
posted by deludingmyself at 11:26 AM on June 7, 2020


Response by poster: Hm, it MIGHT be the Cyan, but Fine Artist is an extremely promising lead....
posted by Charity Garfein at 12:02 PM on June 7, 2020


I can picture clearly in my head what you're talking about, but can't put together what it's from. I associate it with computer stores in the early 90s. I was only on PCs, for what it is worth.
posted by synecdoche at 2:32 PM on June 7, 2020


I can ALSO remember this, clearly enough that I've inadvertently recreated it as a test scene when writing a 3d graphics tool (I didn't remember that until I read your post, but, yup, totally unintentionally evoking a thing).

I definitely remember it in the context of System 8 or System 9...
posted by Alterscape at 7:25 PM on June 7, 2020


I can see it, too! I thought maybe it was Publisher but this doesn’t seem quite right... https://logos.fandom.com/wiki/Microsoft_Publisher?file=2.0-french.png
posted by assenav at 8:17 PM on June 7, 2020


Whilst I am positive I remember this too (the shapes coloured in yellow, magenta, and cyan?), I’ve not found any direct match yet, However, having pored over the collection of Win95 icons here on Twitter), the nearest I can find is this - any chance it’s that?
posted by Morfil Ffyrnig at 9:25 PM on June 7, 2020


Och, that sounds so familiar. My first thought was that if it wasn't a button in ClarisWorks, it might have been a ClarisWorks document icon. But the only examples I can find online are the two kinds seen here, which do incorporate a circle, triangle, and square, but otherwise don't match your description well.
posted by aws17576 at 9:58 PM on June 7, 2020


Yessss...OS 8 or 9...was it a pyramid? or a cone?
posted by TWinbrook8 at 9:19 AM on June 8, 2020


How about the first logo for the 3D0 videogame console (circa 1993-1994)?
posted by JoeZydeco at 2:13 PM on June 8, 2020


Response by poster: These are all so close, which makes me wonder if I'm imagining a composite and accidentally false-memoried everyone. But so far I still think it might be buried in Fine Artist somewhere, and I just can't find a thorough enough playthrough on YouTube to spot it....
posted by Charity Garfein at 4:56 PM on June 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


Is it the WordArt button from the toolbar in Microsoft Word 2000?
posted by rollick at 5:27 AM on June 9, 2020 [1 favorite]


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