The Brutalism Renaissance: Web Design Style
The Brutalism movement may seem far removed from contemporary web design, but the online significance of this resurgent architectural style is worth noting.
The term Brutalism was coined for the concrete-driven architecture of the mid-to-late 20th century, which created radical reinterpretations of urban space. Epitomized in buildings like London’s Barbican and Cumbernauld’s town center, it was characterized by a preference for exposed materials and repetitive design elements. This rugged strand of anti-aesthetic architecture has been mocked and demolished in equal measure since the 1990s.
Back In Style
Today, Brutalism is making a comeback. Its influence is evident everywhere from concrete worktops to contemporary websites, with the latter adopting many Brutalist styling cues. Online celebrations of this phenomenon praise the websites of Italy’s Nowhere Festival and the Washington Post in the US, while the latter recently celebrated “Web Brutalism” by highlighting some of the rough-hewn and deliberately minimalist new websites being launched.
But Why?
For those still struggling to understand the point of Web Brutalism, it’s best to imagine it as a reaction. Just as punk rock was a visceral attack on the stylistic excesses of glam rock, so Web Brutalism deliberately turns its back on the Flash affectations and autoplaying media content of today’s dynamic websites. It’s a return to what purists see as the ‘good old days’ of website design, when hyperlinks were underlined in blue and fonts were pasted directly from Microsoft Word.
Considered in isolation, Web Brutalism makes a great deal of sense. A website doesn’t have to be a lovingly crafted CSS triumph with proprietary typefaces and graduated tints, nor does it necessarily require thirty hours of design time in a studio. Just because a design concept exists, it doesn’t need to be implemented. Plus, the recent focus on style over substance has often overlooked the primary function of a website – to sell, to persuade or to inform. Few people will buy a product or request a service based on whether they like the website design, but they’ll be hugely influenced by text and images. Content is king, even if it has been playing second fiddle lately to clever programming and decorative embellishments.
Back To Basics
Web Brutalism reorders substance over style once again, just as its architectural forefather championed rugged affordability over Victorian fussiness and Art Deco’s impractical detailing. If you write a fascinating blog, it will be just as fascinating on a white background – or even a grayscale one. Information-driven websites are leading this revolt, with no pressure to project a perfect lifestyle or run with the corporate herd. While the concept of delivering everything you need and nothing you don’t hasn’t been embraced by retailers or manufacturers yet, a handful of hipster brands could give this movement critical mass.
…And On To The Next Fad
So what does this mean for the webmaster considering a redesign, or the design studio pitching to new clients? It’s safe to say that Web Brutalism won’t appeal to everyone. Like beard oil and hybrid cars, it’ll always be a niche rather than a universal. It’s also going to look more effective on the Drudge Report website than Debenhams, and like all fads it will eventually be usurped by something even fresher. The next time you see a medley of monochrome backgrounds and underlined hyperlinks, however, don’t assume you’re looking at a mistake or some long-forgotten relic of web 1.0. Web Brutalism is very much part of the here and now, and it’s likely to be with us for some time yet.