Frutiger Aero
Frutiger Aero, also known as Web 2.0 Gloss, is a design style and aesthetic. It was often used around the mid-2000s to early-2010s. The design is often used in user interface (UI) designs, but is found in other forms online. The style was named in 2017 by Sofi Xian (formerly Sofia Lee) of the Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute. It became popular again in 2023 as an piece of nostalgia.
History
Frutiger Aero was commonly used around 2004-2013. It came after the Y2K aesthetic, which was used around the late-1990s to the early-2000s. The name comes from the Windows Aero design language and the Frutiger font. The term was named in 2017 by Sofi Xian of the Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute.[1]
The style was used in many forms of media, like in seventh-generation consoles, interior design, and website design. The Windows Aero design language was the first to feature Frutiger Aero design. Windows Aero was used in the user interface of Windows Vista and Windows 7.[2]
During the start of the 2010s, the popularity of the style started to fade. It was replaced by the flat design style around 2013.[2] During the early to mid-2020s, the aesthetic came back in popularity. It was used on social media sites like TikTok and YouTube as a piece of nostalgia.
Themes and characteristics
.Nature is a theme mainly found in Frutiger Aero design, often being shown alongside technology. The main design elements of Frutiger Aero are blue skies, grass, aurorae, lens flares, bokeh photography, and transparent materials. Frutiger Aero also includes Skeuomorphism, which means including real-world objects into design. This was represented with 3D graphics and shiny surfaces which were common in electronic app icons.[2] Common colors associated with Frutiger Aero are green and blue.
The design of Frutiger Aero was often associated with false hope of a techno-utopian future by social media users. Some called the images as "A future we were promised but never delivered".[3] The style and nature of the design might have led to climate change being taken more seriously according to Amanda Brennan.[4]
Related pages
- Solarpunk - Political and aesthetic movement advocating for a sustainable living style
- Windows Aero - Graphical user interface
- ↑ Cramer, Florian (2024-07-22). "speculative photography: an attempt (essay) of making visible (manifesto)". Artnodes (34). doi:10.7238/i. ISSN 1695-5951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 https://yenimedya.aydin.edu.tr/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/3.pdf
- ↑ (in fr) L’esthétique « Frutiger Aero », cette nostalgie d’un futur techno-écolo qui n’a jamais eu lieu. 2024-09-07. https://www.lemonde.fr/m-perso/article/2024/09/07/l-esthetique-frutiger-aero-cette-nostalgie-d-un-futur-techno-ecolo-qui-n-a-jamais-eu-lieu_6306608_4497916.html. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
- ↑
Frutiger Aero Media
Many user interfaces from the 2000s (KDE Plasma 4 pictured) exemplify the Frutiger Aero style.[1]
Vibrant colors, three-dimensional graphics, and glossy textures are characteristic of Frutiger Aero design.[2]
Dazed (2023-02-03). "What is frutiger aero, the aesthetic taking over from Y2K?". Dazed. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
