Welcome to the Frutiger Aero Website!

This is a site about the design aesthetic of the same name. It contains tutorials, examples, and information about the aesthetic itself.

About the Aesthetic

Frutiger Aero includes glass effects, skeuomorphism, auroras, bright color palettes, smooth curved lines, and elements of nature. Frutiger Aero designs are also not very crowded with many different elements, instead having a more "open" and minimal composition as opposed to some interpretations of the style.

It began from 2005-06 and was popularized by Windows Vista. It ended around 2011-13, during which flat design took over.

Examples

Windows Vista
Windows Vista, Microsoft (2007)
Nintendo DS demo kiosks at E3
Nintendo DS demo kiosks at E3 (2006)
iDog Mini
iDog Mini, Hasbro (2007)

Related Aesthetics

Y2K Futurism

Y2K Futurism preceded Frutiger Aero and as such appear similar. Instead of glass, metal is the primary "material", and it has a strong emphasis on swooshes, blobs, and 90's-early 00's CGI.

Y2K Futurism example
2Advanced Studios Site v3, 2Advanced Studios (2001)

Frutiger Metro

Frutiger Metro is a "flatter" version of Frutiger Aero that was popular around the same time (2000s). Instead of heavy textures and glass, subtle gradients and plain colors are used with colored silhouettes and influence from 1970's Supergraphics.

Frutiger Metro example
K5 MP3 Player packaging, Samsung (2006)

Neumorphism

Neumorphism was introduced in 2020 as a skeuomorphism revival and as of now is slowly replacing flat design. It uses subtle lighting effects, slight texture, and aims to combine the cleanliness of flat design with the tactility and texture of skeuomorphism.

Neumorphism example
Vision Pro UI, Apple (2023)