Brutalism emerged in the mid-20th century as a response to the need for functional, cost-effective architecture in the post-World War II era. The movement was heavily influenced by modernist principles, emphasizing honesty in materials, structural clarity, and raw aesthetics. The term “brutalism” comes from the French phrase béton brut, meaning “raw concrete,” a defining feature of the movement.
Architects sought to strip away ornamentation and focus on exposed structures that highlighted the materials used rather than concealing them. The movement quickly gained traction across Europe and North America, particularly in government and institutional buildings. Over time, brutalism’s principles extended beyond architecture, influencing graphic design, web design, and digital aesthetics with its unpolished, high-contrast, and functionality-driven approach.
Alison and Peter Smithson were pivotal figures in shaping brutalist architecture, advocating for a raw, functional approach that prioritized materials like exposed concrete, steel, and brick. Their work in the 1950s and 1960s helped define brutalism as a movement rooted in honesty of materials and structural expression.
The Smithsons’ design philosophy embraced ruggedness and lack of concern for visual comfort, rejecting traditional decorative elements in favor of imposing housing projects and institutional buildings. They sought to create architecture of the 1950s that reflected the realities of post-war urban development—a design that makes a statement through its direct, unembellished aesthetic.
One of their most famous projects, the Hunstanton School in Norfolk, exemplified brutalism’s ethos—a stark, geometric structure built with raw materials that exposed its inner workings. Their influence extended into many brutalist buildings throughout the decades, inspiring architects to embrace functionality first and challenge conventional aesthetics.
Brutalism is characterized by its honest use of materials, emphasizing functionality over aesthetics. The movement rejects decorative embellishments, instead opting for raw, exposed elements that highlight the structural integrity of a building or design project.
Derived from the French term béton brut, meaning “raw concrete,” this material became synonymous with brutalist architecture. Its rough edges and imposing presence define many brutalist buildings, such as Boston City Hall and Habitat 67. The texture is important, often left unpolished to showcase its rawness and industrial strength.
Many brutalist architects integrated steel and glass to balance heavy concrete structures with geometric elements like exposed beams and rigid frameworks. These materials reinforced the imposing visual impact while ensuring structural durability.
Beyond architecture, brutalism in design embraces raw, grid-based layouts, often oversized typography, and stark contrasts. Many brutalist designers incorporate typefaces like sans-serif fonts and minimal color palettes to maintain the functionality-first ethos.
Whether in architecture, graphic design, or digital spaces, brutalism embraces imperfections, strips elements down to their core, and imposes a bold aesthetic that challenges traditional design norms.
Brutalism is a style that prioritizes rawness, functionality, and structural honesty. Unlike Art Deco, which emphasizes ornamentation and geometric elegance, brutalist design tends to reject decorative elements in favor of exposed concrete, geometric forms, and stark aesthetics.
Brutalist buildings are often imposing, featuring design elements that embrace raw materials, oversized geometric structures, and an intentional lack of concern for comfort. This approach creates a visual impact that is both striking and polarizing. The movement also throws order aside in favor of practicality, ensuring that every element serves a purpose rather than existing for aesthetic pleasure.
Exposed concrete and raw materials, oversized geometric forms, and functionality over form.
A classic brutalist structure, Boston City Hall exemplifies the movement’s defining characteristics—exposed concrete, angular geometric design, and a commanding presence.
One of the most famous brutalist projects, the Barbican Centre is an urban housing complex that uses staggered concrete terraces and a maze-like layout, reflecting brutalism’s focus on functionality and structure.
Designed for Expo 67 in Montreal, Habitat 67 is a bold housing project that redefines urban living, featuring stacked, prefabricated concrete units that create an organic yet imposing structure.
These buildings stand as a testament to brutalist architects’ willingness to push boundaries, embracing elements like rigid geometric layouts, exposed materials, and a lack of decorative concern to achieve functional yet provocative structures.
Boston City Hall, Barbican Centre in London, and Habitat 67.
Brutalist graphic design takes inspiration from brutalist architecture, emphasizing rawness, unpolished visuals, and functionality over decoration. Unlike minimalist design, which aims for refined simplicity, brutalism embraces asymmetry, distortion, and unconventional layouts.
Brutalist designers often use oversized typography, clashing colors, and grid-based structures to create compositions that feel intentionally jarring. The movement tends to reject traditional aesthetic expectations, instead focusing on direct visual impact and stripped-down design elements. This style can be seen in editorial design, advertising, and digital branding, where designers aim to break norms and grab attention through chaotic yet structured visuals.
Oversized typography, clashing colors, grid-based layouts, and a focus on functionality first, aesthetics second.
Brutalism font credit: https://elements.envato.com/grotalism-YMBMPDA
Swiss Style, also known as International Typographic Style, champions clean lines, structured layouts, and clarity in communication. It relies on grids, sans-serif fonts, and restrained color palettes, ensuring that typography remains the focal point.
Brutalism, on the other hand, throws order aside, embracing distortion, overlapping elements, and a deliberate lack of harmony. While Swiss Style focuses on structured precision, brutalist graphic design rebels against predictability, often creating visual discomfort to challenge viewers’ expectations.
Brutalism in digital design challenges conventional aesthetics by rejecting refined, user-friendly interfaces in favor of raw, function-first layouts. Unlike traditional design approaches that prioritize smooth navigation and visual comfort, brutalist digital design often throws order aside, emphasizing bold, jarring elements that force users to engage differently.
Digital brutalism tends to use stark color contrasts, oversized typography, and minimal CSS styling, deliberately avoiding the polished feel of modern UX design. It embraces imperfect, stripped-down elements, borrowing from brutalist architecture’s philosophy of exposing materials—only here, it’s about exposing the underlying structure of a website or app.
While this design style isn’t for every platform, it has found a place in creative industries, experimental projects, and art-driven web experiences. Many brutalist designers argue that this brutalist approach creates a more direct, unfiltered interaction between content and users, making digital experiences feel more authentic and less commercialized.
Brutalist web design is a direct translation of brutalist architecture’s raw, functional aesthetic into the digital space. It rejects polished, user-friendly layouts in favor of intentionally unrefined, minimalist structures that emphasize content and function over decoration.
Brutalism in web design tends to strip elements down to their core, utilizing plain backgrounds, monospaced or sans-serif fonts, and little-to-no CSS styling. This results in a stark, high-contrast aesthetic that often ignores conventional web usability norms. The style is a reaction against modern, homogenized website templates, favoring a raw, unfiltered, and sometimes jarring experience for visitors.
Brutalist websites thrive in spaces where designers wish to challenge expectations or create anti-aesthetic branding, particularly in experimental design projects, art-focused sites, and independent digital platforms.
Brutalist web design is a deliberate departure from the polished, user-friendly interfaces that dominate the modern web. It embraces raw aesthetics, unconventional layouts, and minimal styling, often evoking a reaction from visitors through bold, unfiltered presentations. Below are some of the most compelling examples of brutalist web design that challenge traditional usability norms while making a powerful visual impact.
A German creative agency that blends minimalist construction with quirky effects, featuring captivating cursor interactions and motion features. The site maintains a raw and unpolished aesthetic while keeping engagement high through unexpected interactions.
Visit Studio Brot
A bold, rule-breaking magazine website that thrives on chaotic yet consistent design, balancing overlapping elements and unconventional navigation. This site disregards the clean, grid-based layouts of modern websites, instead opting for a layout that prioritizes visual impact and unpredictable content flow.
Visit Freak Mag
This site experiments with unique typography pairings, successfully using contrasting typefaces to emphasize key words and phrases. It highlights the brutalist approach to digital typography, where function and rawness take precedence over refinement.
Visit Hot Buro
A fascinating digital project that features algorithmically generated piano compositions with minimalist aesthetics and raw interactions. The site reflects brutalism’s rejection of decorative elements, opting instead for bare functionality that exposes the fundamental mechanics of the interface.
Visit Ezekiel Aquino
These examples showcase how brutalist web design rejects convention in favor of unfiltered expression, leveraging bold typography, stark contrasts, and unconventional structures to create memorable user experiences.
These examples demonstrate how brutalism challenges usability norms while maintaining aesthetic impact and user engagement in digital experiences.
While brutalist web design may seem unconventional, many brands adopt it as a strategic statement. Companies that embrace brutalism seek to stand out in a digital landscape dominated by polished, templated aesthetics. Instead of prioritizing traditional usability principles, these brands opt for a direct visual language that imposes a unique user experience.
Some brands utilize brutalist web design to reinforce their rebellious, disruptive, or artistic identity. By intentionally rejecting mainstream web aesthetics, these companies challenge expectations, creating a website that is both memorable and conversation-worthy. This approach is common among fashion brands, creative agencies, and experimental art projects that want to position themselves at the cutting edge of digital culture.
Unlike minimalist design, which emphasizes user comfort and ease of navigation, brutalism throws order aside and forces users to visually consume information in a raw, unfiltered way. Brands that adopt this design style may value content-first experiences, encouraging visitors to focus solely on the message rather than the aesthetics.
While brutalist web design isn’t suited for every business, it continues to influence digital branding, especially for companies seeking edgy, unconventional engagement. As web design trends evolve, expect to see brands integrating brutalist elements—such as stark contrasts, monospaced fonts, and stripped-down navigation—in a more user-friendly manner, merging brutalism’s raw energy with modern usability principles.
| While brutalism might not be the right fit for your small business, there are many styles to choose from that balance creativity, functionality, and brand identity. Every design decision should align with your business goals and target audience, ensuring that your website delivers both visual impact and usability. Ready to explore the perfect design style for your business? Let’s talk. |
Minimalism and brutalism represent two opposing yet influential design philosophies. Minimalist design embraces simplicity, balance, and negative space, prioritizing a clean, structured aesthetic that creates a seamless user experience. Brutalism, by contrast, throws order aside, favoring raw, unpolished visuals, high-contrast elements, and oversized typography to create a visceral, immediate impact.
While minimalism relies on grids, harmony, and restrained color palettes, brutalist style rejects traditional design rules, embracing a lack of concern to look comfortable or easy. The two approaches share a focus on functionality, but where minimalism prioritizes clarity and refinement, brutalism uses raw, unfiltered elements to challenge expectations.
Interestingly, modern designers are experimenting with hybrid approaches, blending brutalist elements with minimalist layouts to create unconventional yet structured digital experiences. This fusion allows for highly expressive design without sacrificing usability, proving that brutalism and minimalism can coexist in creative harmony.
Brutalist design is often criticized for its harsh aesthetics, unconventional layouts, and rejection of traditional usability principles. However, despite its raw appearance, brutalism can be user-friendly when executed with intention. Many brutalist websites prioritize content clarity and navigation, ensuring that key information is easily accessible without excessive visual embellishments.
While brutalism uses raw elements and often jarring layouts, designers can integrate usability principles to create a more structured experience. This includes:
Though the buildings and websites inspired by brutalism lack concern to look comfortable or easy, many modern adaptations incorporate elements of brutalist aesthetics while maintaining a functional and navigable user experience. The fusion of brutalist style with modern usability principles proves that brutalism can coexist with user-centric design trends.
Brutalism’s influence extends beyond architecture and web design—it has also made a strong impact in film. The 2024 film The Brutalist, which won the Oscar for Best Cinematography, tells the story of an architect who grapples with the aesthetic, social, and political challenges of brutalist design in post-war America. The film’s visual storytelling and stark cinematography capture the raw, imposing nature of brutalism, reinforcing its place as a movement that values authenticity and function over ornamentation.
Just as The Brutalist presents architecture as a reflection of cultural and ideological shifts, brutalist web and graphic design challenge the expectations of digital aesthetics. The parallels between brutalist architecture and web design highlight how this movement continues to push creative boundaries, whether in physical structures, digital experiences, or visual storytelling.
Brutalism remains a bold counterpoint to mainstream digital aesthetics, influencing a growing number of designers who seek to break free from conventional templates. As many design trends lean toward clean, minimal layouts, brutalism provides an alternative path that prioritizes rawness, functionality, and visual intensity.
While its extreme forms may not appeal to all industries, elements of brutalist design—such as oversized typography, high-contrast color schemes, and stripped-down navigation—are increasingly being integrated into modern branding, experimental web projects, and creative industries.
With the rise of AI-driven design tools and interactive storytelling, brutalism’s direct visual language could evolve into a hybrid approach that balances aesthetic disruption with user-centered principles.
As digital products evolve, brutalist UI and UX principles are finding their way into more interfaces. Designers are experimenting with think overlapping elements, raw layouts, and unconventional navigation, using brutalism to challenge user expectations and create standout experiences.
Brutalism’s influence can already be seen in platforms that prioritize functionality over ornamentation, from content-heavy blogs to direct, fast-loading e-commerce sites. As digital interfaces continue to develop, expect to see brutalist design principles integrated with modern usability standards, blending aesthetics and accessibility for a new generation of interactive experiences.
Navigating web design trends can be overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. At Cider House, we specialize in creating websites that not only look stunning but also deliver exceptional user experiences. Whether you’re interested in bold, unconventional aesthetics or a sleek, modern approach, we’ll help you develop a site that truly represents your brand.
Let’s bring your vision to life—contact us today.
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