How was Frutiger Aero perceived during its time?

[GENOSAD]

I have a bit of an issue with the way that a lot of people think of Frutiger Aero... They take a look at the archives and terminologies that were invented well after the aesthetic was prominent, and assume that everything was like that from day one. That Frutiger Aero isn't a retronym for common design themes, but rather a template that tech companies utilized across UI design.
I think a good way to walk back on this perception would be to look at how "Frutiger Aero" was perceived during its time. Archiving the designs themselves is all well and good, don't get me wrong, but without proper context there's no way to be able to see it in a holistic way or approach it on its own terms. The FA History page, for example, references a 2009 article that was pretty harsh on Windows XP; the OS that most consider the "birthplace" of Frutiger Aero as a style:

two of my personal gripes: the doggie in XP's search function, and the idea that Longhorn might kill the "Classic" interface that's been around since Windows 95.

As for Classic View, more than 700 of you demanded its survival--as opposed to 3 who liked the new Windows XP look. Many complained about XP's "Fisher-Price interface" and noted that the first thing they do on any XP machine is switch back to Classic View. I wholeheartedly agree.

I've also talked to people who were adults during Frutiger Aero's "heyday" and a lot of them found the skeuomorphic designs to be a bit too much. My dad, for example, actually prefers minimalist designs because they're more intuitive and easier on the eyes. But beyond that, here are opinions that I've found on a forum that I frequent

I remember liking and disliking the aesthetic depending on it's execution. I really liked the way it was used in Windows Vista, but thought it looked out of place on stuff like phones or the X-box 360 UI. I think the difference is whether it was using a flatter execution of the aesthetic or not, as Vista had a sort of flat glass plane type of style vs. a rounder, more 3d esk type of execution that you see on phone menus and such that looked like those thick transparent stickers.

...it displaced what was before.

Microsoft always referred to this style as just "aero." I don't know where the "frutiger" part is supposed to come from. I also don't associate this specific look with anything other than Microsoft products made between 2006-2012 and third party products (adware) that were specifically trying to copy Microsoft. I wouldn't call it the defining style of mid-2000s tech, just one particular flavor of a larger and less specific design trend that would also include what Apple was doing at the same time.

Perhaps my favorite assessment, as it's exactly how people will be looking at today's minimalism:

I was in highschool/college when this aesthetic came out, and at the time I thought it looked tacky and overly coporate, but now I have grown an appreciation for it because what we have now is so much worse

[lakes]

yeah i personally liked the way windows vista and 7 looked, but otherwise i didn't think too much about it at the time probably because i was a teenager

[xrossmediabar]

search up web 2.0 gloss

[GENOSAD]

search up web 2.0 gloss

...it's just more websites about Frutiger Aero from a modern perspective. Nothing too helpful :/

[Patachoo]

I have a bit of an issue with the way that a lot of people think of Frutiger Aero... They take a look at the archives and terminologies that were invented well after the aesthetic was prominent, and assume that everything was like that from day one. That Frutiger Aero isn't a retronym for common design themes, but rather a template that tech companies utilized across UI design.
I think a good way to walk back on this perception would be to look at how "Frutiger Aero" was perceived during its time. Archiving the designs themselves is all well and good, don't get me wrong, but without proper context there's no way to be able to see it in a holistic way or approach it on its own terms. The FA History page, for example, references a 2009 article that was pretty harsh on Windows XP; the OS that most consider the "birthplace" of Frutiger Aero as a style:

two of my personal gripes: the doggie in XP's search function, and the idea that Longhorn might kill the "Classic" interface that's been around since Windows 95.

As for Classic View, more than 700 of you demanded its survival--as opposed to 3 who liked the new Windows XP look. Many complained about XP's "Fisher-Price interface" and noted that the first thing they do on any XP machine is switch back to Classic View. I wholeheartedly agree.I've also talked to people who were adults during Frutiger Aero's "heyday" and a lot of them found the skeuomorphic designs to be a bit too much. My dad, for example, actually prefers minimalist designs because they're more intuitive and easier on the eyes. But beyond that, here are opinions that I've found on a forum that I frequent

I remember liking and disliking the aesthetic depending on it's execution. I really liked the way it was used in Windows Vista, but thought it looked out of place on stuff like phones or the X-box 360 UI. I think the difference is whether it was using a flatter execution of the aesthetic or not, as Vista had a sort of flat glass plane type of style vs. a rounder, more 3d esk type of execution that you see on phone menus and such that looked like those thick transparent stickers.

...it displaced what was before.

I prefer Pixelart and drawn western rpg fantasy style that is not too bright and flashy, more rough surfaces and opaque, not these super-smooth surfaces, glitter and bright colours.

Microsoft always referred to this style as just "aero." I don't know where the "frutiger" part is supposed to come from. I also don't associate this specific look with anything other than Microsoft products made between 2006-2012 and third party products (adware) that were specifically trying to copy Microsoft. I wouldn't call it the defining style of mid-2000s tech, just one particular flavor of a larger and less specific design trend that would also include what Apple was doing at the same time.Perhaps my favorite assessment, as it's exactly how people will be looking at today's minimalism:

I was in highschool/college when this aesthetic came out, and at the time I thought it looked tacky and overly coporate, but now I have grown an appreciation for it because what we have now is so much worse

That's the case with a lot of aesthetics, and I mean everything about "artistic movement" (yeah I think an aesthetic can be considered as something similar as an artistic movement), for example Fauvisme artists were not called like that during the time they were active for example, and often criticized from what they painted. It's a little like that with a lot of topics or medias (thinking about how the Wii U is appreciated now, but was hated by a lot of people during its first years)

In my opinion, it's still interesting in a historical way to know what people thought about FA at the time, but this should not prevent us from appreciating it today just because Web 2.0 was not appreciated before for example. Let's people enjoy what they want

[GENOSAD]

In my opinion, it's still interesting in a historical way to know what people thought about FA at the time, but this should not prevent us from appreciating it today just because Web 2.0 was not appreciated before for example. Let's people enjoy what they want

I'm not trying to knock people for enjoying Frutiger Aero, just asking what sources there are for how aero was perceived at the time. A lot of the opinions I found were negative, sure, but as you say it doesn't keep me from enjoying FA for what it is.

Please don't get lost in the critical nature of comments I found. I'm sure there are plenty who enjoyed the design style at the time, it's just that the outcome of my own research ended up being contrary to how we see FA now. A lot of people don't realize how good they have it until it's gone, which is a sentiment that a lot of people who were around for FA have for it.

[rnottelovesowls]

in retrospect, i missed out on a lot of frutiger aero tech, including windows vista. as much as i ate up windows 7, i never gave vista the chance it deserved. no matter how “legible” minimalist design is, it’s sterile

but, following the art movement made me realize. whatever i didn’t experience as a kid, i would seek out and finally experience as an adult

[Daniele63]

I have a bit of an issue with the way that a lot of people think of Frutiger Aero... They take a look at the archives and terminologies that were invented well after the aesthetic was prominent, and assume that everything was like that from day one. That Frutiger Aero isn't a retronym for common design themes, but rather a template that tech companies utilized across UI design.
I think a good way to walk back on this perception would be to look at how "Frutiger Aero" was perceived during its time. Archiving the designs themselves is all well and good, don't get me wrong, but without proper context there's no way to be able to see it in a holistic way or approach it on its own terms. The FA History page, for example, references a 2009 article that was pretty harsh on Windows XP; the OS that most consider the "birthplace" of Frutiger Aero as a style:

two of my personal gripes: the doggie in XP's search function, and the idea that Longhorn might kill the "Classic" interface that's been around since Windows 95.

As for Classic View, more than 700 of you demanded its survival--as opposed to 3 who liked the new Windows XP look. Many complained about XP's "Fisher-Price interface" and noted that the first thing they do on any XP machine is switch back to Classic View. I wholeheartedly agree.I've also talked to people who were adults during Frutiger Aero's "heyday" and a lot of them found the skeuomorphic designs to be a bit too much. My dad, for example, actually prefers minimalist designs because they're more intuitive and easier on the eyes. But beyond that, here are opinions that I've found on a forum that I frequent

I remember liking and disliking the aesthetic depending on it's execution. I really liked the way it was used in Windows Vista, but thought it looked out of place on stuff like phones or the X-box 360 UI. I think the difference is whether it was using a flatter execution of the aesthetic or not, as Vista had a sort of flat glass plane type of style vs. a rounder, more 3d esk type of execution that you see on phone menus and such that looked like those thick transparent stickers.

...it displaced what was before.

I prefer Pixelart and drawn western rpg fantasy style that is not too bright and flashy, more rough surfaces and opaque, not these super-smooth surfaces, glitter and bright colours.

Microsoft always referred to this style as just "aero." I don't know where the "frutiger" part is supposed to come from. I also don't associate this specific look with anything other than Microsoft products made between 2006-2012 and third party products (adware) that were specifically trying to copy Microsoft. I wouldn't call it the defining style of mid-2000s tech, just one particular flavor of a larger and less specific design trend that would also include what Apple was doing at the same time.Perhaps my favorite assessment, as it's exactly how people will be looking at today's minimalism:

I was in highschool/college when this aesthetic came out, and at the time I thought it looked tacky and overly coporate, but now I have grown an appreciation for it because what we have now is so much worse

Windows XP for me is not the birthplace of Frutiger Aero, I consider it as part of "Y2K".

Anyways, I would say that back then, the new glossy, futuristic designs that also incorporated skeuomorphism was a way to show off the new capabilities of the tech back then. Stuff like Aero glass for example, was pure eye-candy, but it also was hard to run for computers when Vista came out, as the tech wasn't quite ready yet, but with Windows 7 a few years later, with bugs fixed and computers being more powerful, more people could enjoy it. Apple's design at the time was also a way to show off the things that were now possible with tech. All of this generated hype and optimism about what the future might bring in the tech world.

Graphical user interfaces came a long way since a few years prior, when only simple graphics could be displayed. The realism in those new UIs was a selling point, though for many people it was nothing but a gimmick, as some people prefer usability over fanciness. You're totally right to say that it is corporate in origin, as a few corporations did set the trend (notably Microsoft & Apple mainly), so that's a valid criticism.

Overall, I would say Frutiger Aero was a product of its time, something that would not make sense in the modern day, but back then it did. It was in many ways corny, over the top, in many ways reflecting us back then too, but it's also beautiful in its own right and I believe it deserves to be remembered, and for a lot of us it surrounded us while we grew up so we are nostalgic for it.

The web also started to use those aesthetics back when those operating systems became the most widely used. You had your browser surrounded by Aero glass, it made sense for the websites to also have a similar design language. The same thing now, we have moved to flatter, more minimalistic operating systems, and websites reflect that.

---

About the name "Frutiger Aero", the name coined by CARI doesn't actually only include Aero, which is the particular design guidelines used by Windows Vista and 7, you can find the full description of what the aesthetic entails in their website. But yeah, it also refers to art, architecture, various images, technology, some cars, and a bunch of stuff from the mid 2000s. 

The "Frutiger" corresponds to Adrian Frutiger's font named after him, which they say is the one that inspired Segoe UI, the font used in Aero. But it probably inspired many different fonts of the same style, which are commonly used with those designs.

[xrossmediabar]

search up web 2.0 gloss...it's just more websites about Frutiger Aero from a modern perspective. Nothing too helpful :/

web.archive.org/web/20091008081626/http://www.pcworld.com/article/117427/full_disclosure_your_take_on_windows_worst_irritations.html

snap2objects.com/2007/11/20/how-to-destroy-the-web-20-look/

shapeshed.com/bored-by-web-20-design/

onextrapixel.com/the-keynotes-of-web-20-design-elements-with-30-dazzling-showcases/

xpwebbuttons.com/clipart-wysiwyg-editor-buttons.html

[MetalJack98]

Back in the day it was kinda the 2000's version of what the future would've looked like and everyone was kinda pushing towards having like sci fi and futuristic designs. Back in the 90s people did that a lot too. Now while this was mainly used in a lot of marketing, there were plenty of non-marketing uses of the aesthetics. I guess to me it was perceived as a push to a really sci-fi future. Nowadays, feels like we live in a ruined aftermath of that future...