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Loading...We discussed a bit about faceless characters in our last post. And if you are an old-time user of Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, you must have seen an entire collection of faceless characters – all in the same style. These were called Screen Beans, and they were so frequently used in PowerPoint slides that audiences actually got over-familiar with them to the extent that they did not want to see yet another slide with a Screen Bean character! No. We are not blaming the Screen Beans themselves — just that these were probably the only faceless characters available at that time, and everyone used them!
Do you want to know how the Screen Bean characters looked like. Figure 1, below, may refresh your memory!
Figure 1: Some Screen Bean samples
These Screen Beans were a prominent part of the Clip Art Gallery app that provided graphics for Microsoft Office programs. Screen Beans were not created by Microsoft themselves but licensed from a company called A Bit Better Corporation. Their site now just contains a single page that lets you know that they no longer sell these Screen Beans.
That’s a far cry away from a decade or more ago, when these Screen Beans were hugely popular. Internet access was not as fast or widespread then as it is today, and most presentation designers did not depend on online stock photo sites. Rather, most of them bought huge collections of clip art spread across multiple CDs and DVDs. Even Screen Beans were available as a clip art collection you could buy, because not all Screen Bean graphics were available from Microsoft. You could always upgrade to a larger collection.
Do you want to use some Screen Bean characters today? Fortunately, Microsoft still holds a redistribution license for some Screen Beans, and your PowerPoint slides could get that vintage look! Figure 2, below shows Screen Beans available for download from the Office website many years ago.
Figure 2: Screen Beans from the Office website
Screen Beans: A Graphic Legacy
Origins
- Creator: A Bit Better Corporation — an independent design firm focused on fun, expressive stick-figure illustrations.
- Product: Screen Beans — faceless characters with exaggerated poses, ideal for workplace and communication scenarios.
- Released: Mid-1990s — when PowerPoint was becoming the lingua franca of business.
Microsoft Collaboration
- Licensed by Microsoft: Screen Beans were included in the Microsoft Clip Art Gallery, starting in the Office 97 era.
- Distribution: Found in PowerPoint, Word, and Excel — quickly became the “default” clip art choice for millions.
Parallel Influence
- Dennis Austin’s Role: Though not involved initially, Dennis Austin joined A Bit Better Corporation in 1997 as a partner, following his tenure as PowerPoint co-creator.
- Duration: Stayed with the company until 2012, contributing to its design and consulting work.
Fading Fame
- Screen Beans grew ubiquitous—so much so that they became a symbol of overused visuals in corporate slides.
- By the 2010s, Microsoft stopped bundling traditional clip art, favoring more dynamic online images.
Vintage Appeal Today
- Still Available: Microsoft retains a redistribution license for certain Screen Beans—allowing users to download and reuse them for retro flair.
- Fan Following: There’s even a Screen Beans fan page on Facebook—proof that nostalgia never really fades.
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