Frutiger Aero (/ˌfruːtɪɡərˈɛəroʊ/) is a design style that was prevalent from the mid-2000s to the early 2010s. It originated inuser interface designs, but later influenced various other media. It was named in 2017 by Sofi Xian[a] of theConsumer Aesthetics Research Institute, and reemerged in 2023 as anInternet aesthetic, becoming popular withGeneration Z as an object ofnostalgia. Frutiger Aero art features optimistic themes of technology in harmony with nature and often includes natural imagery, bright colors, andskeuomorphic elements.
Frutiger Aero was prevalent from the mid-2000s to the early 2010s,[b] succeeding theY2K aesthetic, which was popular from the late 1990s to the early 2000s.[4] The nameFrutiger Aero is derived from theFrutiger typeface, designed byAdrian Frutiger, and theWindows Aero design language.[5][c] The style had no common name at the height of its influence;[6] it was named in 2017 by Sofi Xian[a] of theConsumer Aesthetics Research Institute.[7] Its reflective elements also led it to be known asWeb 2.0 Gloss.[5]
The style was used in many kinds of media from the period, including various advertising,seventh-generation video game consoles such as theNintendo Wii,[8] as well as in architecture andinterior design.[9][d] Windows Aero – the design language used by theMicrosoft Windows operating systems beginning withprototypes of Windows Vista (2001–2006) – was among the first to feature characteristics of Frutiger Aero.[14] The scholar Emirhan Avcı called Vista "one of the first mature examples" of the style, and, after its release, Microsoft published a style guide their designers had referenced when creating it.[15]Windows 7 (2009), Vista's successor, expanded on these characteristics.[14] Frutiger Aero waned in popularity in the early 2010s and was largely replaced byflat design in user interfaces and electronics.[16] Avcı identified a transitional style,Frutiger Metro, named after theMetro design language used inWindows 8 (2012), which shared features of Frutiger Aero and laterminimalist interfaces.[17]
The style experienced a resurgence of interest on social media in early 2023 and through 2024.[13] Critics identified posts using the #frutigeraerohashtag onYouTube andTikTok and on ther/FrutigerAerosubreddit receiving high viewership.[18] Ellie Violet Bramley ofThe Guardian identified this as a reaction to theartificial intelligence boom,[12] and Laura Holliday ofDazed wrote that the style was revived to provide an alternative to the minimalism of user interfaces at the time.[10]TechRadar's Jamie Richards also wrote that Apple'sLiquid Glass design language, released in 2025, was likely influenced by Frutiger Aero.[19]
Frutiger Aero is rooted in both technological advancements and cultural events such as theY2K problem and the transition toWeb 2.0 during the late 1990s and early 2000s.[21] Although the style isfuturistic,[22] nature is a central theme, and the style often depicts the natural as "intertwined" with a digital future, according to Avcı.[23] Common design motifs include blue skies, grass,aurorae,lens flares, andbokeh effects.[24] The style also incorporates elements of theseapunk subculture – primarily present onTumblr in the 2010s – including water and tropical fish, influenced by the video gameEcco the Dolphin (1992).[25] The digital culture scholar Laura Goudet said that the style represented "a utopia where efficiency and the environment coexist", conceived during a period of general "naïveté" about the harmful effects of technology.[26]
A group of media researchers discussed Frutiger Aero as part of a larger trend of "fascination with outdated futures", which they studied on social media platforms in the early 2020s.[27] They wrote that the reemergence had a "political dimension", as they found many social media users associated it with bygone ideations of atechno-utopian future.[28] Several posts framed the images as "the future we were promised but never delivered."[29]Le Monde's Laure Coromines felt that the style's renewed popularity indicated a nostalgia for what was viewed as "a kind ofGarden of Eden".[26] In an interview forDazed in 2023,Amanda Brennan stated that the style's natural imagery and optimism may have contributed to the renewed interest, corresponding to generally increased environmental consciousness and shifts in attitudes towardclimate change.[10]
The writerAllie Rowbottom said that Generation Z – raised with continual access to technology and the Internet – was especially drawn to the style's depiction of "the harmonious marriage between nature and technology".[26] Scholars and critics have contrasted Frutiger Aero with the Y2K aesthetic; according to Brennan, "There's a lot of hopefulness in this aesthetic that Y2K doesn't have". Hannah Craggs of TrendBible, also interviewing withDazed, said that "times of unrest and uncertainty" motivated interest in the style as a source of comforting nostalgia.[10] Rowbottom also pointed to the absence of humans in Frutiger Aero art, attributing it to Generation Z's aversion to theanthropocentrism and "oppressive beauty standards" prevalent on social media.[26]The Guardian's Alaina Demopoulos found, however, that many social media users implementedgenerative artificial intelligence to make illustrations in the style, which she felt "sort of ruins the aura."[13] Avcı also wrote that these posts, which could be mistaken for real imagery, created a "false historical narrative" that misinformed viewers of the style's eminence.[6]
One of the style's distinctive features isskeuomorphism: the visualization of real objects in the designs.[30] These were represented usingthree-dimensional graphics with reflective, glossy surfaces, which were particularly observable inmobile application icons.[20] Several scholars argued that user interface designs used skeuomorphism to present electronics with gentle and familiar traits, easing the transition for new users during the mass adoption of home computers andtouchscreen electronics in the early 2000s. This influenced the inclusion of elements such as rounded edges, natural imagery, and exotic animals.[31] Frutiger Aero also utilizes bright colors: yellows, and particularly blues and greens to align with its natural influences.[32] Avcı interpreted the palette choices as reflective of the optimistic theme of the style.[33]
Avcı stated that virtual aesthetics first began to influence architectural design trends at the end of the 20th century, attributed to the increased capability ofcomputer-aided design programs.[34] He studied the impact of the style on interior design, examining several buildings including theOlympic Park McDonald's restaurant in London and aPoste Italiane office designed byMassimo Iosa Ghini.[35] He found that a number of digital features were replicated through the choices of materials; for example, the stylistic tendency to include translucent elements influenced the use of glass andacrylic panels.[36]
