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By experimenting with typography, color, and composition, designers can create brutalist designs that challenge traditional aesthetics while remaining visually compelling. Brutalism-inspired fashion designs often challenge societal norms and push boundaries, making bold statements and evoking emotions. The use of asymmetry, vibrant colors, and unexpected combinations creates visually striking garments that defy traditional expectations.
What is Neo Brutalism?
"Brutalism" comes from the French word "béton brut," which means "raw concrete." This style emerged in the mid-20th century, primarily in Europe and North America. It was characterized by exposed geometric forms (using raw materials such as concrete, brick and steel to emphasize shapes) and a strong focus on functionality over ornamentation. One of the primary criticisms leveled against brutalism graphic design is its perceived lack of visual appeal. Critics argue that the raw and unapologetic aesthetic can be off-putting to viewers, making it challenging to appreciate the design. However, proponents of brutalism argue that its unconventional and bold approach is precisely what makes it visually captivating. Designers can explore the use of eco-friendly materials, embrace minimalism and simplicity, and prioritize ethical production processes.
Aesthetics

What you see above is a screenshot of the Balenciaga homepage in 2017. The site’s design resembled a wireframe more than a full-fledged website. It wasn’t until shoppers made their way through the categories that they’d encounter product imagery and a UI they’d be more familiar with. Years ago, it took its website to an extreme in terms of style, too. While prospective clients will find portfolio graphics tucked under the collapsible project list at the bottom, there isn’t a lot to look at. While there might not be anything pretty about a stripped-down interface, that might not matter much to users who want a fast and easy way to engage with the site and convert.
What are the key elements of brutalist graphic design?
Experiment with distorted letterforms, oversized text, and fragmented typography to challenge traditional legibility. At the heart of brutalism graphic design are a set of core principles that define this unique style. These principles guide designers in creating visually compelling and thought-provoking designs that challenge the norms of the industry.
Either through the use of large windows that frame views of the surrounding landscape. And the incorporation of outdoor spaces such as courtyards and balconies. The colors used in this style are typically less vibrant to create a more muted and understated look that aligns with the raw, unapologetic aesthetic of Neo-Brutalism. Furthermore, there’s always a primary color that serves as a brand color.
Seth Godin is an entrepreneur and author who maintains a brutalist-styled blog called Seth’s Blog. In addition, any hyperlinks that appear within the post appear as blue underlined text links. The original purpose of brutalism was to strip design and construction down to the basics and make it more practical. Ugly designs were unfortunately sometimes the byproduct, but not the original intention as it was with antidesign.
It is a rejection of the notion that design must always be sleek, polished, and visually pleasing. Instead, brutalism graphic design challenges viewers to look beyond the surface and engage with designs that evoke emotional responses. He pairs bright, saturated website background colors with bold typography and simple geometric shapes, creating a solid foundation for his design. Navigation options are located at the top of the page so that users can quickly move to any desired page. This is a great way to touch on the web brutalist trend while ensuring that visitors don’t get lost on the page. In conclusion, brutalism graphic design represents a bold departure from the conventional norms of graphic design.
These bold and geometric posters, designed by Otl Aicher, used unconventional layouts and vibrant colors to represent the different Olympic disciplines. They challenged traditional design norms and remain some of the most recognizable Olympic visuals ever created. Jeremy Baxter is a visual artist, filmmaker, photographer and musician from Colorado. His portfolio website features a brutalist design with a black-and-white color scheme, bold typography and a focus on simplicity. Imagery plays a dominant role in this design, and the font style gracefully complements the punk rock atmosphere that Jeremy created.
Downsides of using brutalist aesthetics in web design
But graphic design is more than about making things look pretty (though that’s nice too) — it can influence what we pay attention to and how we absorb information. Artists in California have long been aware of the persuasive powers of design, using bright colors, playful typefaces, and bold shapes to push forward their ideas. Neo Brutalism or Neubrutalism is a modern look of the Brutalist Architecture style from the 1950s to the mid-1970s. This architecture emphasizes the construction using Raw concrete with a limited palette of materials with large geometric forms with simple and clean lines as well as Rough and raw surfaces. Aurelio De Anda is a graphic designer who works on merchandising, brand identity, print media and web design.
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There are plenty of examples of contemporary and modern brutalist architecture, furniture, and websites that are intricately designed without being wasteful or extravagant. There are many directions in which web designers can go with brutalism. This design trend is one that emerged in 1960s Italian architecture as well as in web design in the 1990s — it was characterized by garish, exaggerated, and disorienting interfaces. While brutalist websites might not have the megalithic and severe presences that brutalist buildings do, they are constructed in a similar fashion using the raw materials of the web.
Digital interfaces are becoming simpler and more streamlined because that’s what users need and want. That’s what we as a field have learned over decades of user research. There is plenty of room to be creative while helping people understand your content and complete their tasks. We don’t need to make things harder for our users just to stand out, or to keep them interested. Now we’re hearing some designers advocate for the inclusion of brutalist and antidesign principles in products.

One of the most notable examples of Brutalist architecture at UCSD is the Gilman Drive Parking Structure, located on the university’s main campus in La Jolla. Designed by the architectural firm Moore, Ruble, and Yudell, the Gilman Drive Parking Structure was completed in 1970 and is a prime example of the Brutalist style. The building features large, sweeping concrete forms, an emphasis on raw materials and construction techniques, and innovative use of space, all of which are hallmarks of Brutalism. Like minimalist design, brutalist digital design descends from an earlier movement. Web brutalism is inspired by the brutalist architecture of the 1950s.
Users might find it unrefined, but it creates a raw aesthetics experience that sticks, and that’s the point. It’s like a breath of fresh air, cutting through the noise of over-designed websites. From the influence of Modernist architecture to the rebellion of anti-design—welcome to a space where grid-based design meets geometric shapes, and text-heavy layouts command the spotlight. Brutalism graphic design is all about challenging norms and pushing boundaries. Be fearless in your design approach and don’t be afraid to experiment.
Avoid using imperfections for the sake of being unconventional, as this can undermine the integrity of the design. People are social and emotional creatures who look for warmth, connection, belonging, and feeling special. In its stark monumentalism and breaking away from traditions, especially in architecture, Brutalism can come across as oppressive and anti-social, which is generally very off-putting.
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