Tony Ko / Web 1.0 Era

WD.1 / Wins //

Hand-coded live sites before modern tooling existed.

Pixel-perfect web design from the Web 1.0 era, self-taught from an early age. Photoshop-sliced templates, table-based HTML and CSS, and custom themes for Sony Ericsson phones, Winamp, and early social platforms like Xanga, AsianAvenue, and Zuup — every asset optimized for dial-up and shipped to live sites across Netscape and IE6, long before modern frameworks existed.

WD.2 / Figure //

Pixel-Perfect Layouts Before Modern CSS

Taught myself web design by turning Photoshop compositions into live interfaces with sliced assets, table-based HTML, and hand-written CSS before grid, flexbox, component libraries, or responsive tooling existed. The PixelInfinity layout is the evidence, but the story is the foundation: I learned to think in systems early — visual hierarchy, asset weight, browser quirks, and production constraints all had to be solved by hand.

WD.3 / Figure //

Custom Platform Themes and Constraint Hacking

Designed custom themes for Xanga, Zuup, Sony Ericsson phones, and Winamp by working inside whatever markup, image slots, browser behavior, and file-size limits each platform allowed. These themes show the early design instinct underneath the later portfolio: understand the host system, find the seams, and use visual craft to make a constrained environment feel personal and intentional.

WD.4 / Figure //

Identity Systems for Social Platforms

Built full visual identities for early social spaces like Xanga, where a profile was less a feed and more a self-authored website. The variant supports the story because it shows more than decoration: color, layout, typography, illustration, and mood all working together inside platform constraints. Long before formal design systems, I was already shaping reusable visual language around identity, audience, and atmosphere.