From insider tip to mainstream: How nostalgia and brutalism fought for their place in modern web design

At the beginning of the year, the editor Caroline always most important web design trends 2023 on OnlineMarketing.de and, above all, emphasized the return of nostalgic elements, a visual representation of club culture and a departure from maximum ( online marketing.de )

Nowadays we can count ourselves lucky that we can rely on a wide range of web design options. A few years ago it looked very different. But how have nostalgia and brutalism pour their way into modern web design?

In this article we take a look at the rise of these two trends and how they manifest themselves in modern web design . Like Caroline, we rely on the question: Which colors , patterns, elements and topics characterize the web design for 2023 and the years after that we are advised to find the findings of the platforms specializing in Squarespace and Dribbble .

Nostalgia and brutalism in web design

More and more companies and designers rely on nostalgia and brutalism in web design. But how did these two trends be able to fight their place in modern web design? The answer may be in the search for a new form of individuality and authenticity on the Internet.

While the goal for a long time was to create the most perfect and smooth surface as possible to offer users a pleasant experience, today it is about showing personality and consciously allowing corners and edges .

The retro look of nostalgia designs is reminiscent of a time before the digital revolution when websites still seemed handmade. Brutalism, on the other hand, stands for a radical departure of established design conventions and provokes with its raw aesthetics . Both trends bring a new kind of emotionality into play - websites should be experienced again instead of cool functionality.

The definition of nostalgia and brutalism

In order to understand how nostalgia and brutalism have established themselves in modern web design, we must first clarify their definitions.

Nostalgia and retro look

Nostalgia describes a feeling of longing for past times or experiences. In web design, this often manifests itself through the use of retro elements such as old fonts or color schemes.

Retro is a term that describes a culturally outdated or old -fashioned style, trend or fashion from the past that has come back into fashion. Usually styles with one year between 20 and 30 years are considered a retro. The use of iconographies in the "retro" style has been a general trend in web design for some time and this trend will probably continue in the future.

A retro design can give a website a dynamic, functional, cozy, funny and even modern flair. All types of websites carry this trend, from online shops and company pages to personal websites such as portfolios and blogs. In all of these cases, designers use their creativity to withdraw the design from the others.

Especially for certain target groups such as music or art lovers, nostalgic elements can be an important factor to build an emotional bond.

You can find the Creator Community curated and excellent web designs with unmistakable retro optics at AWWWARDS: RETRO websites .

Neo-brutalism

Brutalism, on the other hand, is a design style that relies on minimalism and raw aesthetics. It is about putting the functionality of the design in the foreground and foregoing unnecessary decorations. On the other hand, brutalism offers a way to attract the user's attention with an unconventional design.

Both styles have found their place in modern web design because they each offer a unique approach to the design of websites. However, despite their success, designers should make sure that these styles are not overused and that they are always in line with the needs of the customer.

How to find nostalgia and brutalism in modern web design

In modern web design, nostalgia and brutalism play an increasingly important role. While nostalgia ensures a feeling of familiarity and comfort, brutalism stands for the opposite: raw, undilated and often provocative. However, these two design directions have gained popularity in recent years and have now become an integral part of the web design landscape.

It is not just about aesthetics, but also about functionality and user -friendliness. Because both nostalgia and brutalism make it possible to present content in its own way and to arouse emotions with the user. Although these two styles may seem very different at first glance, they can still be perfectly combined with each other and thus result in a unique web design experience.

This contrasts are created by an exciting and individual web design. The integration of nostalgia elements such as retro fonts or vintage photos creates a connection to the past, while brutalism stands for a clear and minimalist design. This mix of past and modern design is now widespread and has fought for its place in the mainstream of web design.

Further web design trends 2023

In addition to brutalism and retro look, according to the article from OnlineMarketing.de, three important trends should also be mentioned:

The Y2K trend

Y2K trend in the fashion world has been present for some time and it can also be observed in the web design area. , metallic and pastel colors , a LO-FI design and vintage images that are reminiscent of the beginning of the 21st century are shown here

The intention behind this is that designs can deliberately appear unmodern as long as the website itself has not got stuck in the past.

Designer: Inside, the opportunity to work with color gradients, fat lettering and colorful gifs to revive the aesthetics of the early 2000s.

Rave aesthetics

Another Schriller trend has established itself in the world of web design, which finds its origins in the rave and club scene. The combination of dark backgrounds, bright neon lights and a dynamic pulse serves as inspiration for this trend.

There are also nostalgic elements that are reminiscent of the 90s. By using modern and future-oriented designs in combination with retro look, the rave trend in web design to attract attention.

Glitch elements, experimental fonts and distorted, psychedelic pictures perfectly complement the look.

Metaverse

be visually displayed by web design One way for designers: Inside, it is to work with multi-layered elements, chrome textures and mixed media objects in order to create a captivating web experience.

The current meta-verse trend is also characterized by interactive graphics, as well as 3D shapes and lettering, which are reminiscent of flowing metal.

Videos for the most important web design trends 2023

Immersive 3D worlds, overstimulation, scrapbook aesthetics, micro-animations, neo-brutalism, smart videos and typographic layouts

Trends in typography and CSS, Dark Mode, transparencies in videos