The "F" and "R" in FrutigeR: Back on track to that promised future

The world is still changing. Always has been, always will be. It seems with the rise and fall of the 90's, 00's, and 10's we have something that's stayed the same, and that's a sleek, glossy future. As the early/mid 2010's marked the supposed "death" of the Frutiger Aero design language, we've had about a decade with a new design language, and it hasn't worked out.

The death of flat minimalism: Brown in a rainbow

Historically, not every invention or style is going to be a hit. We gotta have some misses in there somewhere. Corporations have really been swinging hard with Corporate Memphis, and it's not working out. One big trend I've noticed in my day to day life in the real world and as a webizen of the modern era is a general dissatisfaction with all that is flat, and it's something that I agree with myself. Most notably in recent times has been the Paypal redesign. One of the biggest issues with the Corporate Memphis design language is that it's so, sadly minimalist. Minimalism is the death of art. In the attempt to make something so open and inoffensive to the human eye, we make something that does not stimulate the brain. If you only cast a hook with no bait, you'll never attract any fish. As humans we are attracted to things that stand out, and minimalism is the attempt to make nothing stand out at all, which sucks because there's so much good to be had from solid, hard thought design. Thankfully, it's coming to an end. Minimalism has been so rejected by the general populous that corporations, an entire decade later, are getting the message that the only people who think it looks "dignified" have their heads so far up their asses they can sip from their stomachs. 

Corporate realizations and ecological motivations: Green, green grass

As a society ever-increasingly worried about what happens next, we always want something new. In light of the way the world has been progressing and the many, many major problems we've faced as put on us by the previous generations, the general mass of humanity has taken on a very pessimistic outlook on life in recent years, and it hasn't been changing. We've become ever more intwined in the internet, and now we're starting to part from it a little bit. We have everything at our fingertips, just like we were promised. However, products still have to appeal to us for businesses to stay afloat, and with company after company making more and more green pledges from noticing our concern for the ecosystem and world at large, they've tried to appeal to us with their canvas aprons and earthy browns, but the issue is the coloring. It's in human psychology to be attracted to natural things, and brown, while natural, is not something the brain wants to see. Now, I could give you a whole speech about how dirt is bad in the human mind, but let me narrow it down for you:

Green is fruitful.

All that is bright green bares fruits. Grass and trees and algae make oxygen for us to breath. It's a sign of ecological prosperity, and the human mind goes crazy for it. In short, brown is flat, green has depth. Now, companies are reconnecting with that core part of a green pledge. Green. One of the prime ways to make people believe you believe yourself, is to show them just what you believe in. I know, I know. I could make a halo 3 ad with how many times I just used the word "believe", but belief is a core driving motive for what makes us inclined to be easier on companies. And if they show us things we wanna see, we're more inclined to believe them.

Glory to the speedbump: web 2.0 gloss

Now, this might not be universal, but I believe one of the biggest issues with Corporate memphis is the flat aspect. No, not everything being simple colors and uncreative. That's definitely it's own issue, but I mean the lack of visual depth. Part of what made the beauty of Mac os X Snow Leopard and the AERO design face of the time, is that nothing was flat. Everything had a reflective mark on it, reflections from light coming from one angle or another, a very distinct gloss. It looked beautiful. It gave a visual sense of the third dimension on a two dimensional screen, and while it was only a little thing, that more could you ask for? It was just that, a little thing that made us happy. You could see it in search bars, buttons, hell it's a bit softer, but you can even see it here on Spacehey, especially the mobile app. Now that things have lost that coloration and feeling of being popping out at you, the internet isn't exciting anymore. You're not diving into a whole new digital world! What you're doing is interacting with a bunch of flat things on a magical glowing whiteboard. It sucks. It's not cool anymore. I legitimately believe that people would be happier if this simple thing was brought back to restore depth to the flat web we have now. Unrelated, I really like snow leopards. 

Fulfilling that promise: the future of Frutiger

With the releases of things like Augmented Reality, the realization of the death of minimalism, and global concerns, I really, truly believe we're having a return to form. Things are gonna be good again, and if not, they might feel a little more alright. As flat design languages die out, The best thing to do is add depth. We're seeing that a little bit with Neuomorphism, but we've still a ways to go, and we shouldn't settle for less. Alongside the death of flat design languages, is the unfortunate thing for corporations and good thing for humanity, which is holding up on eco-friendly promises. We want the wildlife to grow with us, not die out and let humanity be the dominant, and last, race there is. We're gonna see more green being represented in corporate spaces like ads, commercials, products, and that's a major step we need to take towards that greener future. The final point I'm gonna make overall is an emphasis on depth. In just the same way you don't talk to someone who's a one note snoozefest, you don't want to interact with a web that lacks depth. Bring back that little bit of gloss and water drop look again. Give us something fun, playful, and hopeful. 

Bring back the love.

I love you, Reader. I hope the future treats you well, and you get to thrive in a green future next to me.