Frutiger Aero

Frutiger Aero visuals in user interface design (KDE Plasma 4 from 2011)

Frutiger Aero, 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 2000s, before declining in popularity during the 2010s. 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 renderings of nature, air and water shown alongside modern technologies.[2] 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 towards minimalism in user interface designs.

  1. ^ Salah, Faisal (April 27, 2024). "Niche aesthetics finding popularity on social media, from Frasurbane to Frutiger Aero". The National. Archived from the original on July 19, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  2. ^ Bramley, Ellie Violet (December 14, 2023). "Frutiger Aero: the Windows screen saver design trend taking TikTok by storm". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on April 11, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.