Flashback: When fish, colors and 3D looks dominated the world.

Do you remember a time when our world was characterized by the diverse and cheerful aesthetics of “Frutiger Aero”? For almost an entire decade, this design dominated all areas. The term “Frutiger” refers to the font that was widely used at the time, while “Aero” refers to the Windows Aero interface, which was considered the standard for Windows operating systems. Fish, soap bubbles, vivid colors, and a shiny 3D look were everywhere.

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The rich colors gave the world a lively atmosphere, particularly known for the legendary “Bliss” Windows XP background. Aqua elements such as soap bubbles, fish and dolphins were trendy and created the impression that technology and nature were harmoniously merging.

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App icons presented themselves in a trendy 3D look, with shiny textures and rounded corners as well as the shiny “glass boxes” of Windows. Back then, skeuomorphism tried to depict the digital world as realistically as possible — for example, the YouTube icon was still an old television.

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Frutiger Aero's aesthetics were everywhere: from technology to logos and advertisements to magazines and interiors. But why is the younger generation in particular experiencing renewed hype about this 2000s aesthetic today? The answer probably lies in the happiness of days gone by. Everything was presented in a positive, colorful and brilliant way.

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Futurism, which is manifested in designs from back then, does it still look contemporary and futuristic today?

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This is what Yalda Jaililvand, art director at amce studios GmbH, says: “I first saw this kind of design as a child, seeing glass and transparent elements in design was cool and very new then. But it was nice for back then when doing things like this was difficult. In an age like this where people can create literally anything, going back to that just says: we need more experts in design.”

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About Frutiger Aero:‍

Frutiger Aero is a design movement that emerged in the 2000s and is currently being rediscovered by Generation Z.

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This movement is closely linked to iconic technological developments such as Windows Vista, the first iPhone, and the Nintendo Wii. It is characterized by a combination of sleek and modern elements, natural images and fresh colors.

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Frutiger Aero is a type of design that can be considered a sub-genre of skeuomorphic design as it integrates 3D realism elements into its aesthetic. It was a broad design style and aesthetic phenomenon that was widely used in advertising, media, stock images, and technology from around 2004 to 2013, marking the end of the Y2K era.