The great 2000s display picture: a short history and 20 ideas

Before profile photos were for job hunting, there was the display picture: a tiny square next to your name that said everything about you, and changed four times a day.

The classic types

• The band. Whoever you were obsessed with that month.
• The pet. Usually the dog, occasionally a very unimpressed cat.
• The dramatic selfie. Black and white, taken from above, never smiling.
• The cartoon. A character from Saturday morning telly.
• The in-joke. Meant something to exactly three people.
• The default. Flowers, a football, a rubber duck. The mark of someone who just didn't care.
• The tribute. A couple photo, cropped out the day after the break-up.

20 ideas for yours

1. Your pet, mid-yawn
2. The view from your favourite beach
3. Your first car (or a photo of one like it)
4. A pavlova you're proud of
5. Your old school uniform (just the jumper)
6. A cassette, CD or iPod shuffle
7. A Nokia 3310
8. Your garden's best plant
9. A sunset from the deck
10. Your favourite tramp's summit
11. A cuppa on a rainy day
12. Your team's jersey
13. A drawing you made
14. A meme only your mates will get
15. Your bookshelf
16. Your sneakers
17. A blurry gig photo
18. Your kid's best drawing (with permission)
19. A pixel-art version of yourself
20. The classic: one of our illustrations

Display pictures on Chatroom

Everyone can pick one of our original illustrations, from a kiwi and a fern to a guitar, a cat, a dog and a cuppa. The frame around it changes colour with your status, just like the old days.

With Premium you can upload your own photo instead. Photos are only visible to signed-in members, are checked by a moderator first, and must follow the community rules: no nudity, nobody under 18, and nobody else without their permission.

A few tips

• Pick something recognisable at a tiny size. Close-ups win.
• Don't use a photo with your address, car registration or school in the background.
• Change it often. That's half the fun.

Sign up free and pick yours.