User interface design style and Internet aesthetic
Frutiger Aero visuals in user interface design (KDE Plasma 4 from 2011).
Frutiger Aero (/fruːtɪɡərɛərəʊ/), sometimes known as Web 2.0 Gloss,[1] is a retrospective name applied to a design trend observed mainly in user interfaces and Internet aesthetics from the mid-2000s to the early 2010s.[2] It succeeded the Y2K aesthetic, which was popular from the late 1990s to the early 2000s.[2] The term Frutiger Aero is derived from Windows Aero, which exemplifies the style; and Adrian Frutiger, a Swiss typeface designer who was responsible for many of the humanist typefaces that were often used in older computing interfaces.
The style is characterized by its heavy use of shiny and glossy skeuomorphic features along with computer-generated images of nature, air and water shown alongside modern technology.[3] The design style was popular in the 2000s because its skeuomorphic nature was intended to make it more accessible to consumers, but was displaced during the 2010s by a shift toward minimalism in user interface designs.
Characteristics
Bright colors and glossy textures are characteristic of Frutiger Aero design.
Frutiger Aero typically features bright colors, skeuomorphism, glossy textures, and bokeh photography.[4][5] Common design motifs include blue skies, grass, water,[3] shiny globules, and tropical fish.[2] The design philosophy of Frutiger Aero has been described as "retro-futuristic" and representing a time of "technological optimism",[3] and the aesthetic itself has been called "playful" and "maximalist".[4] In a February 2023 Dazed article, Amanda Brennan, the former Head of Editorial at Tumblr, said that "there's a lot of hopefulness in this aesthetic that Y2K doesn't have".[2]
History
The term "Frutiger Aero" was coined in 2017 by Sofi Lee of the Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute, an online community dedicated to developing terminology to describe consumer ephemera from the 1970s onwards. Lee retrospectively devised the term to refer to skeuomorphic tendencies in design prevalent roughly from 2004[4] or 2005 to 2013.[5]
During this period, touch-screen devices started entering the mainstream, and skeuomorphic and friendly designs were used to acclimate new consumers to touch-based technology.[2] Popular products incorporating what would later be called Frutiger Aero include technology such as the first-generation iPhone, the Samsung Galaxy S, and Windows Vista, as well as video games such as The Sims 3 and Fruit Ninja.[5] In addition, the popularity of the aesthetic spread beyond technology, and the design language can be found in packaging for other products of the time, such as air conditioners, laundry detergent, and furniture.[2]
The aesthetic has since seen a revival among online communities, with videos analyzing a variety of interfaces being posted on TikTok and YouTube under the #frutigeraero hashtag in 2023. Consequently, a subreddit, r/FrutigerAero, was established to discuss this aesthetic.[2] It has gained popularity among Generation Z, partly due to nostalgia[6] and because it serves as a maximalist alternative to modern minimalist corporate styles such as Corporate Memphis.[4] In addition, Brennan stated that modern interest may arise from Frutiger Aero's nature-focused imagery and optimism, corresponding to increased environmental consciousness among Generation Z.[2]
