Brutalism is exactly what it sounds like. This movement in art and design and architecture is a heritage from the 1950s, the architectural movements in the post-war era, where everything was stripped down to necessity, raw function and unrefined materials. Brutalism includes exposed structures, and functional geometric forms, because who cares about ornament? “Beautiful ugliness,” they called it. That’s the sort of honesty that was critical for the post-war era, and it symbolizes force to rebuild, stand firmly for what is true and right.
Modern digital Brutalism, often seen in web design, adopts this raw philosophy with unpolished aesthetics, default fonts, and chaotic, non-traditional layouts that defy standard user-experience conventions. In a way, people don’t live the same life any more, so why would they chase the same aesthetic in web design? A few clarifications are in order.
Brutalism in Web Design
Refined Details? Never Heard Of Those
Funnily enough, brutalism trickled everywhere, I’m talking video editing to food aesthetic. And, of course, web design. Now, brutalist web design isn’t just “ugly design.” It’s anti-design, in a way, a rejection of polish, refinement, and the invisible systems that make interfaces feel smooth. You could argue that no on ewould go for it, but the thing is, they do. Even more profoundly, it translates into no-fluff journalism, or websites that exist purely for function and not miscellaneous reasons. Borrowing from architectural brutalism, the same approach in web design has:
- exposed structure
- aggressive or oversized typography
- minimal styling (or intentionally clashing elements)
- layouts that feel unfinished or disruptive
Take Bloomberg Businessweek during its bold redesign phase. What would you call it? Its typography is, for the lack of another word, loud. There’s a lot of sharp contrasts. And the layout is not following hte conventional rules o modern UX. Some would go as far as calling it quite visually aggressive.
Oh, and let’snot forget LingsCars, albeit it’s an extreme example, despite the fact that aesthetics are wildly different from Bloomberg Businessweek. LingsCars has flashing graphics, clashing colors, and so much visual noise that it will have your eyes watering in under two minutes.
Even Craigslist fits into this whole conversation, though I don’t think they tried. Its raw, almost untouched HTML structure said who cares about design when we can have function?? It’s like talking to your grandpa on the phone. All information and no ounce of smalltalk. Sounds like brutalism to me.
So brutalism in web design actually has two forms, it’s either no design, because who cares, or no design rules, just throw all colors and forms in there, because again, who cares.
Why It Should Have Died
From a modern UX perspective, brutalism is full of problems.
- It doesn’t really follow the modern-day rules of UX, as I’ve already mentioned. Users tend to rely on visual hierarchy, and something called predictable navigation, which is essentially familiar patterns. Brutalist interfaces often remove or distort these signals, making interactions harder than they need to be.
- Brutalism in web design doesn’t scale well. It’s all jokes and giggles as long as it’s an ‘artistic statement’. But then when we’re talking complex environments like SaaS platforms or e-commerce systems, it’s harder to keep up. Chaos doesn’t really support structure.
- It conflicts with accessibility standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Low contrast, unconventional layouts, and unclear navigation can create real barriers for users.
By all logical measures, brutalism should have faded out. That said, it could be replaced by cleaner, more efficient design systems. But it didn’t. At least not to that extent. It more likely evolved, and here’s what came out:
- Studio Moniker, for one,turned the whole thing into a game of sorts, into an interactive, artistic medium. Unconventional navigation and unpredictable layouts is their shtick, but with intention.
- Nice That platform also incorporates brutalist elements, but they’re less obvious about it. They still have the same in-your-face typography, raw editorial layouts, minimal decoration, and all that jazz. Yes, it might be less aggressive, but the DNA is still there.
- Adult Swim is in the same list, obviously, because they turned weird into an identity. No further things to add here.
So What Keeps It Alive?
- Individualism, baby!
Works like a charm for creative studios, fashion labels, emerging digital projects, anything that wants to look edgy. - Sameness is boring
Continuation of the previous point, really, but modern web design has a template problem, as a lot of stuff is literally made with templates. Landing pages look alike, and even “unique” designs feel familiar.
Brutalism acts as a counterforce. Not the only way, for sure, but a way nonetheless, to break visual monotony. It aims to be noticeable, and reached that aim more often than not.
- Attention is key
Again, a continuation of the previous point, but in a feed-driven world, attention is currency. Strange design stands out. Wouldn’t you much rather have a juicy omelet with bacon than just plain unsweetened oatmeal?
Oversized text, awkward spacing, unexpected layouts and oter brutalis elements interrupt scrolling behavior. Who needs perfection when you can have memorability?
Soft Brutalism Is NOT For Sissies
What we have now is not the pure form of brutalism. Obviously. Things can’t happen at the same pace and in the same form through decades. What we have now, I think, is soft brutalism, and I don’t mean to say we’re a bunch of sissies (I do a little, but not now).
- Take Balenciaga. Its website feels almost unstyled. It has plain grids, minimal decoration, stark typography. Again, all about deliberate simplicity.
- Gumroad, another good example. Bold colors and minimal UI, but completely usable.
- Even Stripe. A polished interfaces, sure, but hints of brutalism still there.
Soft brutalism in action is exactly what these companies mentioned above represent. Well, not them, their websites. They all have structured layouts, usable interfaces with just enough edge to feel different, t/but they are not the raw form of brutalism. It’s a adapted version.
Brutalist web design still includes:
- typography that feels oversized or dominant
- layouts that break symmetry just slightly
- sections that feel intentionally raw within otherwise polished pages
Brutalist web design refuses to die because the conditions that created it still exist. There’s always a need for something that disrupts uniformity. Nobody can replace modern design, but challenging it? That’s another story. As long as the internet rewards attention, identity, and difference, something as uncomfortable as brutalism, albeit soft, will always have a place.
