Navigation ยท 1990s-2000s
Splash Pages
The velvet rope before the actual site.
What it was
Splash pages greeted visitors with a logo, animation, mood image, or enter button before letting them reach the real content.
Quick answer
The velvet rope before the actual site. A short exhibit about splash pages and why it mattered on the old web.
Why people remember it
- They made websites feel like places with front doors.
- They were often slow, theatrical, and unnecessary.
- The impulse survives in landing pages, onboarding, and cinematic home screens.
What replaced it
Usually a platform feature, a private analytics dashboard, a cleaner app pattern, or a feed. The behavior rarely disappears; it gets renamed and absorbed.