TheAestheticsofDecay:BrutalismReborn

Weliveinanageofhighgloss.The"CorporateMemphis"artstyle(flatcharacters,oddcolors)dominatesBigTech.Everythingisrounded.Everythingisfriendly.Everythingisfake. Theslickuserinterfacehidesthetrackingcookies.Thefriendlymascothidesthelaborviolations. Beautyhasbecomeamaskforextraction.

Inresponse,weseethereturnofBrutalism.

TruthtoMaterials

Original Brutalism (from the French béton brut, meaning raw concrete) was an architectural movement of the 1950s. Architects like Le Corbusier and the Smithsons believed that a building should show what it is made of. If it is concrete, let it be rough. Do not paint it. If it is plumbing, leave it exposed. Do not hide the function.

Digital Brutalism applies this to the Web. The material of the web is HTML. It is the default Times New Roman. It is the blue hyperlink. It is the hard edge of the <div>. When we strip away the CSS frameworks, the smooth scrolls, the blur effects (ironic, considering this site), we are left with the skeleton of information.

TheRuinPornofthe21stCentury

Whyarewesoobsessedwithpost-apocalypticimagery?TheLastofUs.Stalker. Thereisatranquilityindecay.Toseenaturereclaimingtheconcrete. Itremindsusthatourstructuresaretemporary. The"AestheticsofDecay"celebratestheglitch.Theartifact.Thebrokenlink. Inaworldof4Kperfection,thepixelatedimagefeelsauthentic.Itfeelslikeithasahistory.Ithassurvivedcompression.

Minimalismvs.Brutalism

Minimalismtriestobeperfectbyremovingthenon-essential.AppleStoreaesthetics. Brutalismtriestoberealbyexposingtheessential.ASovietbusstop. Minimalismis"LessisMore." Brutalismis"ThisisWhatItIs."

DesigningfortheEndoftheWorld

Aswefaceclimatecrisisandcivilizationalfatigue,theshiny,optimisticdesignsofthe2010sfeeloutoftouch. Wewantarmor.Wewantbunkers. Brutalismisthearchitectureofthebunker.Itsays:"Iamstrong.Iamheavy.Iwillsurvive." Inwebdesign,thistranslatestohigh-contrast,boldtypography,andarejectionof"delight." Wedon'twanttobedelighted.Wewanttobeinformed. Wewantthetexttohituslikeabrick.