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Frutiger Aero is an early 2000s aesthetic that was prominent in advertisements, television, branding, web design, and art. It is known for surpassing the Y2K aesthetic and gaining prominence throughout the early 2000s to the early 2010s. Prominent elements seen in Frutiger Aero include Skeuomorphism in UI designs, glossy textures, humanist elements, tertiary color pallets, glass-like/transparent materials, grass, water, and fish

Originally without a name, Frutiger Aero was instead associated with other styles such as Windows Aero and Apple’s skeuomorphic icons. It was only until 2017 when Frutiger Aero was given its name by Sofi Lee, a member of the Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute (CARI). Lee named the aesthetic after its two major components; the Frutiger Family fonts and Windows Aero (the design language of Windows Vista). Lee also points out the prominent themes of nature and humanism that arise from Frutiger Aero, as well as the combining of arising technology to the outdoors.

History
Frutiger Aero first emerged with Microsoft’s builds of Windows Vista Apple’s design of the Mac OS X. As Microsoft began updating their thematic, the earliest instance of Frutiger Aero appeared with the inclusion of glass borders, giving it a glossier appearance that the aesthetic is known for. Aero effects would then take emergence in Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer. Eventually, Frutiger Aero would begin to surpass the Y2K aesthetic as a result of the imminent cultural shift during that time.

Frutiger Aero would then begin to decline in 2012 as companies began to favor a more minimalist, flat color look for their softwares, branding, and advertisements. This can be seen through Microsoft’s release of Windows 8 and Apple’s iOS 7 update, which played a large part in the death of Frutiger Aero. Eventually, a new tech aesthetic titled Corporate Memphis would emerge and surpass Frutiger Aero as the new mainstream aesthetic.

Despite its decline, Frutiger Aero can still be seen being used in certain forms of branding and adverts, a good example being medical and cleaning products.

Resurgence
Frutiger Aero and its subsequent subgenres have gained more attention following the mid 2020s. Social media platforms such as tumblr, reddit, and tik tok have begun to either create imagery following Frutiger Aero themes or reshare more prominent imagery that has been used in the 2000s. The resurgence seems to stem from a movement against where technology is currently heading, as many are beginning to feel nostalgic for the simpler content presented in the 2000s to 2010s.

Sub Genres
Being an incredibly broad aesthetic, Frutiger Aero had developed several subgenres that followed similar design principles as it gained popularity throughout the early 2000s to early 2010s. These distinctive genres were used in multiple forms of advertisements, art, web design, and branding.

Frutiger Metro
Frutiger Metro is a broad aesthetic that contains the usage of vector-based designs, glossy textures, floral patterns, and gradient blocks. It tends to combine flat shapes with maximalist design principles and was primarily used to target a teenage audience. It was most popular in the 2000s, and was prominent in Windows 8 design features.

Frutiger Eco
A broader subgenre of Frutiger Aero, Frutiger Eco focuses more on the themes of nature and renewable energy. Similarly to Frutiger Aero, however, Frutiger Eco incorporates futuristic elements into its imagery. Popular in advertising and web design during the early 2000s to early 2010s, Frutiger Eco was meant to spread awareness about climate change while simultaneously promoting optimism through its bright and futuristic imagery. Some common imagery in the subgenre includes windmills, solar panels, trees, a green earth, and light bulbs.

Vectorgarden
A subgenre of the parent aesthetic vectorflourish, vectorgarden focuses on the use of vector art and minimalist patterns of flourishes, butterflies and flowers. Its distinction lies in its simplicity, and was often used in children’s entertainment and marketing. Similarly to Frutiger Aero and Frutiger Eco, it was most popular from the early 2000s to the early 2010s.