frutiger aero - the fall and rise

What is 'frutiger aero' and how did it rise to popularity?

Frutiger Aero may not ring a bell when read as a name, but is sure to do so when seen. Originated as a User Interface (UI) in the mid 2000s and early 2010s, notably by Microsoft with their release for their 2009 operating system Windows 7 but also expanding into other areas of graphic design at the time.

Frutiger Aero focused on being a futuristic design, with shiny and colourful yet sleek designs which fed into the era of maximalism (also observed in other popular UIs back then such as Apples iOS). It quickly took off as the next big thing, especially once Microsoft has adopted it into its family of designs.

The 'Frutiger Aero' aesthetic being observed within Microsofts 'Windows 7' Operating System (Source)

The fall of 'frutiger aero'

As the 2000s ended and design advanced into the mid 2010s, frutiger aero and other skeuomorphic design approaches were ditched in favour of minimalism, a sleeker and flatter design which moved on from what I'd like to believe was a transitionary period into technology (skeuomorphism) which aimed to replicate the feeling of physical objects (e.g

a notepad for the notes app, an actual calendar for the calendar app). The new minimalist approach was simply more convenient for most companies, taking less time to design and allowing for a more fluid and consistent UX (User Experience).

A screenshot of Apples iOS 7 operating system, which bought a massive overhaul to the UI, notably one of the first major releases to move on from the skeuomorphic design. (Source)

The rise of 'frutiger aero' (again)

As frutiger aero seemed as something left in the 2000s, a (somewhat) unprecedented social media trend has bought the attention of audiences back onto the aesthetic due to it's now nostalgic and timely look. The aesthetic has begun trending on platforms such as TikTok, Twitter and Tumblr with netizens acclaiming their love for the design, with some going as far as making new designs under the frutiger aero aesthetic and once again giving it life, soon after the aesthetic moved onto more audio focused platforms such as YouTube, with videos such as this starting to circulate, which would present slideshows of various photos from the 'frutiger aero' aesthetic and relaxing music.

Conclusion

It is not unheard of trends to boomerang back into the spotlight, this has been observed with perhaps hundreds of other trends from various decades returning, with some sticking around and some fading back into obscurity. However, what the 'frutiger aero' movement has managed to achieve is showing that nostalgia can drive to trends long forgotten to resurface, instilling curiosity about what other forgotten trends could have this fate in the future.