Sunday, April 28, 2024

Examples & Best Practices of Brutalism in Web Design

brutalism graphic design

It challenges users to think beyond the surface and encourages them to form a personal connection with the design. This emotional engagement can leave a lasting impact and foster a stronger connection between the user and the content. Brutalism graphic design challenges the notion of conventional layouts, opting for asymmetry and unconventional compositions. While this may seem chaotic at first glance, it creates a memorable visual experience for users. The unexpected arrangements and dynamic layouts engage the viewer and invite them to explore the design more deeply.

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This oversimplified design was different from The Beatles' previous album covers, which were usually very colorful and featured various types of visual content. The Constructivists in the 1920s Communist Soviet Union were influenced by Bauhaus, Futurism, and especially the early work of the Swiss-French architect and urban planner Le Corbusier. Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, or Le Corbusier as he was known, made many proposals to demolish traditional, historical buildings and erect new Modern cities.

brutalism graphic design

Most influential architects

Her site’s design uses solid color backgrounds—no decorations or fancy gradients, just plain color. The brutalist-esque text blocks are nicely paired with relevant imagery, reinforcing the core message. Another notable quality about this design choice is how individual sections are visually separated from each other—the background color is used as a section divider.

brutalism graphic design

Brutalism’s revival in digital design

Let’s not forget, the potency of a monochrome palette or the deliberate disarray of asymmetrical layouts are not just aesthetics; they’re statements. It’s a style that’s broken free from the shackles of the overly polished and ventured into the wilderness of raw expression. Think more simplified user interface, with a visual simplicity that gets straight to the point without any sugar-coating. Think more urban design aesthetics rather than straight-up Swiss Style sophistication. Brutalist design embraces text-heavy layout and industrial elements, perfect for messages that aim to be loud, proud, and unapologetically in your face.

How did brutalist graphic design begin?

That usually means working with unstyled HTML and using default settings for fonts, colors, shapes, and so on. While the content is the most important component on the site, designers use more UI components and don’t shy away from styling or animation in order to draw attention to key areas of the page. When most websites tend to fall in line and adopt the same basic trends from year to year, a website that doesn’t play by the rules can easily steal the spotlight. Brutalism design trend is simply too harsh and visually demanding to become dominant. Typically, UX/UI designers will utilize information architecture principles to reduce cognitive load and increase the ease of site navigation.

While this approach may initially seem counterintuitive, it adds a layer of intrigue and complexity to the design. By challenging legibility, brutalism graphic designers force the viewer to actively engage with the text, unraveling its meaning and interpretation. This unconventional use of typography adds depth and personality to the design, creating a unique visual experience.

Like minimalism, brutalism embraces simplicity and the idea that less is more. But, whereas minimalism design tends to balance simplicity with beauty, brutalist design takes elimination to the next degree. While not every brutalist website needs to have a white background, you'll often see a reduced color palette, images, and other visuals. Early pioneers of brutalist graphic design include Dutch designer Wim Crouwel and Swiss studio Total Design.They produced refined yet bold brutalist designs for corporations and institutions.

New websites that feature a brutalist approach in their design are not concerned with looking corporate. Instead, big typography, bright color choices, and mostly a personal interpretation of brutalism are key. Since the 1960s, brutalism has been characterized by the words “bare bones” because it exposes the wireframe of designs. The style has nothing to hide, and we can often see the grid of the design come alive. In recent years, Brutalism has experienced a resurgence of popularity. With many architects and designers embracing its bold, uncompromising style.

Breaking the Grid: Embracing Unconventional Composition

The origin of the brutalist movement can be seen at different periods starting from early modernism, a movement that focused on urbanization, and how modern civilization viewed life. Art movements that were part of modernism included cubists and futurists. These two art movements already featured artworks and performances with landscapes that used geometric shapes and dreamlike industrial scenes. In the game, players navigate a secretive bureaucratic office complex known as the Oldest House.

Aurelio effectively incorporates elements of brutalism in his portfolio website. Brutalism is used to give more visual weight to individual elements or sections, which helps to attract visitors' attention to the right parts of the page as they’re scrolling through it. While there are some great examples of brutalism on the web today, many of those brands have mixed old-school brutalism with modern design trends so as to ensure their user-friendliness. If you’re thinking about utilizing this web design trend, that’s something to keep in mind. That said, brutalist web design doesn’t necessarily need to be ugly.

Another feature of Brutalist buildings is that they tend to bring their construction materials to the surface, rather than attempting to conceal or beautify them. Look closely at the concrete surfaces of many Brutalist buildings, and you’ll see the unique patterns left by the grain of the wood frames used to mold each concrete block. From typography to a color palette (or lack thereof), a brutalist website intentionally creates an environment that feels raw and unpolished. As the exploration of brutalist graphic design wraps up, take a moment to appreciate this fearless frontier of creativity.

The screenshot above is what the hero section of the site looks like. In other words, they appear on the page in their original size, shape, and container. What’s more, they’re accompanied by very few words, styled using a basic sans serif typography.

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Study their use of typography, color, layout, and textures to gain a deeper understanding of the style. Brutalism graphic design has transcended the boundaries of the creative industry and made its mark on various aspects of contemporary culture. Its influence can be seen in fashion, advertising, music, and even architecture.

By incorporating sustainability and ethics into brutalism graphic design, designers can create designs that not only captivate but also contribute positively to the world. Brutalism graphic design finds its origins in the architectural movement of the same name. It is therefore no surprise that brutalism graphic design has influenced modern architecture as well. Architects have drawn inspiration from brutalism’s use of raw materials, honesty in design, and celebration of imperfections. By breaking the grid, brutalism graphic designers invite viewers to question traditional notions of hierarchy and layout.

It challenges the eye, prioritizing grid-based design and monochrome palette over the soft, safe and pleasing designs we’re used to. The intentional use of harsh lines, exposed structure, and typographic experiments with fonts like Helvetica can be a visual shock. Designers in the late 1950s and ’60s were inspired by the Brutalist architecture’s honest use of materials and form. Brutalism is cool, but if your website’s hard to navigate, that’s a problem. Strive to create designs that provoke thought, engage emotions, and foster meaningful connections with the viewer.

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