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This is true from the 'looking back' point of view of how the term's been used in the past, but there's currently a re-appropriation of brutalist experience re-

This is true from the 'looking back' point of view of how the term's been used in the past, but there's currently a re-appropriation of brutalist experience re-interpreted by a younger, forward looking very creative movement producing these types of experiences that incorporate elements of glitch, retro, video-game saturated colors. You can understand it a bit by seeing how compared to modernslick web design, these creations invoke something similar to the spirit of brutalist.

drivingmenuts 3y ago
No, not at all. If anything, the flashy, glitchy BS seems pretty anti-brutalist. Brutalism is about functionality, pure and simple. It doesn’t have decorative elements. It’s not cool,except in temperature. It doesn’t have to be ugly, but the beauty of brutalism is minimalist, at best.
- maxglute 3y ago
  Label is being re-appropriated, IMO doesn't make a lot of sense when it goes against core tenets. But alot of GenZ aesthetic are fun, but their naming hardly makes sense, or doesn't even try to with the iconography/typography being used. It's mostly vibes or labelling for the sake of categorization. See Frutiger Aero.
  - drivingmenuts 3y ago
    Whatever. It's fine as long as they don't get upset when we ignore their clearly misguided labeling and hand them a dictionary to look up "brutalism".
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
    - wkyleg 3y ago
      I think my definition is better and much more inline with what most users want and how open web standards actually work Pure HTML sites with no JavaScript are to archaic and web technologies have improved significantly. A better standard of comparison is current HN mobile and desktop apps, or other popular websites that use large frameworks and obscure their functionality to end users Beyond this, I made a HN reader for the way I personally browse HN with absolute minimal lines of code and maximal cross platform utility so I can use this on desktop, mobile, my iPad, etc. I really don’t care that much about adhering to pedantic definitions of brutalism and a lot more about making something that I like using
  - bowsamic 3y ago
    Gen Z have done this to a few things. Another notable example is redefining breakcore from “extreme technical noisy breakbeats” to “atmospheric ambient drum and bass”
wkyleg 3y ago
This is exactly what I was going for
- keepamovin 3y ago
  And you achieve it! :) Don't worry, buddy. I get you! :)
vineyardmike 3y ago
So basically brutalism just means "distantly referential to the past? > incorporate elements of glitch, retro, video-game saturated colors This doesn't seem related to the ethos of "real" brutalism, nor Neo-brutalism. > modernslick web design, these creations invoke something similar to the spirit of brutalist. How? Because people generally find them unappealing? Brutalism is a minimalist movement characterized by showing the raw construction and function over superfluous elements and design flourishes. Neo-brutalism is a similarly minimalist design style that focuses more on color and layout, but caries with it the simple and clear construction, with simple shapes and typography. Adding "glitch" and retro video game references seems directly opposed to the core intent of both movements, both the minimalist nature, and the shying away from superfluous decorations. Even the user of Emoji iconography instead of plain text is non-brutalist. Neo-brutalism the re-imaginated design movement carries the original ethos with its focus on the raw elements that make up the design (eg. typography) over decoration. The classic gumroad example is a perfect demonstration - clear, focused typography, boxes with simple, stark borders to delimit various UI elements, etc. I feel like I can say this because I'm Gen-Z, and not some old man yelling at the clouds, but let's not use the name of random styles to reference new and unrelated styles.
- _smfg 3y ago
  I'm gen Z too (and a designer) and I agree with everything you've said in this thread. This invokes a retro indieweb DIY type of vibe, not the sharp and clear intention that is behind brutalism.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - wkyleg 3y ago
    I would argue it does much more so functionally because my constraint was building something cross platform with no libraries, one html file, that can also be installed as an app on all devices So perhaps less in the most absolute sense regarding the UI, but in the overall approach it does
- 3y ago

drivingmenuts 3y ago

No, not at all. If anything, the flashy, glitchy BS seems pretty anti-brutalist. Brutalism is about functionality, pure and simple. It doesn’t have decorative elements. It’s not cool,except in temperature. It doesn’t have to be ugly, but the beauty of brutalism is minimalist, at best.

maxglute 3y ago
Label is being re-appropriated, IMO doesn't make a lot of sense when it goes against core tenets. But alot of GenZ aesthetic are fun, but their naming hardly makes sense, or doesn't even try to with the iconography/typography being used. It's mostly vibes or labelling for the sake of categorization. See Frutiger Aero.
- drivingmenuts 3y ago
  Whatever. It's fine as long as they don't get upset when we ignore their clearly misguided labeling and hand them a dictionary to look up "brutalism".
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - wkyleg 3y ago
    I think my definition is better and much more inline with what most users want and how open web standards actually work Pure HTML sites with no JavaScript are to archaic and web technologies have improved significantly. A better standard of comparison is current HN mobile and desktop apps, or other popular websites that use large frameworks and obscure their functionality to end users Beyond this, I made a HN reader for the way I personally browse HN with absolute minimal lines of code and maximal cross platform utility so I can use this on desktop, mobile, my iPad, etc. I really don’t care that much about adhering to pedantic definitions of brutalism and a lot more about making something that I like using
- bowsamic 3y ago
  Gen Z have done this to a few things. Another notable example is redefining breakcore from “extreme technical noisy breakbeats” to “atmospheric ambient drum and bass”

wkyleg 3y ago

This is exactly what I was going for

keepamovin 3y ago
And you achieve it! :) Don't worry, buddy. I get you! :)

vineyardmike 3y ago

So basically brutalism just means "distantly referential to the past? > incorporate elements of glitch, retro, video-game saturated colors This doesn't seem related to the ethos of "real" brutalism, nor Neo-brutalism. > modernslick web design, these creations invoke something similar to the spirit of brutalist. How? Because people generally find them unappealing? Brutalism is a minimalist movement characterized by showing the raw construction and function over superfluous elements and design flourishes. Neo-brutalism is a similarly minimalist design style that focuses more on color and layout, but caries with it the simple and clear construction, with simple shapes and typography. Adding "glitch" and retro video game references seems directly opposed to the core intent of both movements, both the minimalist nature, and the shying away from superfluous decorations. Even the user of Emoji iconography instead of plain text is non-brutalist. Neo-brutalism the re-imaginated design movement carries the original ethos with its focus on the raw elements that make up the design (eg. typography) over decoration. The classic gumroad example is a perfect demonstration - clear, focused typography, boxes with simple, stark borders to delimit various UI elements, etc. I feel like I can say this because I'm Gen-Z, and not some old man yelling at the clouds, but let's not use the name of random styles to reference new and unrelated styles.

_smfg 3y ago
I'm gen Z too (and a designer) and I agree with everything you've said in this thread. This invokes a retro indieweb DIY type of vibe, not the sharp and clear intention that is behind brutalism.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- wkyleg 3y ago
  I would argue it does much more so functionally because my constraint was building something cross platform with no libraries, one html file, that can also be installed as an app on all devices So perhaps less in the most absolute sense regarding the UI, but in the overall approach it does
3y ago