What Is... FRUTIGER AERO?

"What is Frutiger Aero?"

     Good question! Frutiger Aero is an aesthetic that lasted from 2004 to roughly 2014. Frutiger Aero followed closely after the ending of the Y2K era, and remained an unnamed aesthetic until 2017 when Sofi Lee coined the term "Frutiger Aero". The reason for the name of this term is because of Adrian Frutiger, who in 1968 created the UI theme for Windows Vista. However, before the naming of this era, a lot of people referred to it as 'Web 2.0 Gloss'.

     In 2022, many showed an either renewed interest in the artistic moment in advertising history, or a new found interest in it. Many find nostalgia and peace within the world of Frutiger Aero world, while others find the era to be unsettling or unnerving due to the lack of people within the images.

     This style of imagery was used in stock photos, advertising, and other forms of media. A lot of people describe Frutiger Aero as 'the future we were promised, but never got." 

     "It is characterized by its vast use of Skeuomorphism, glossy textures, cloudy skies, tropical fish, water, bubbles, glass, lens flare, sprawling patterns, "Humanism", aero glass, bokeh, Frutiger fonts, abstract tech, auroras, and bright, vibrant colors (usually greens and blues)."  (Frutiger Family, Wikipedia) 

! FRUTIGER FAMILY WIKI

     There's many different variations or subgenres of Frutiger Aero, but to name a few; Frutiger Metro, Frutiger Eco, Helvetica Aqua Aero, Frutiger Aurora, Dark Aero, Technozen, etc. You can read more about the following aesthetics on the Frutiger Family Wiki, or you can read my upcoming blog posts on the topics.

     "The Frutiger time period encompassed the zeitgeist of the Mid-2000s (2004) to the Early-2010s (2013). Frutiger Aero and its related subgenres/aesthetics encompassed and dominated advertising, stock imagery, technology, web design, branding, and media during the period it was mainstream. The Frutiger era succeeded the Y2K era and preceded the Flat Design era, often being considered the middle ground between the two. Frutiger Aero itself is increasingly broad leading the internet to assigning sub-categories to it to better understand it and its intricacies." 

     Now you can say, "I know what Frutiger Aero is!" thanks to me. :)

...Or you could've done a quick Google search to find out what is was, but I appreciate you taking the time to read this if you did so.

(Credits to tilapia for the layout of this post, Justice Beiber for the music, and Amelia!1!1 ^_^ for the intro!)