New aesthetic just dropped: What is "Frutiger Aero?"

    So I figured that I'd write about my newest aesthetic obsession, "Frutiger Aero." Have you ever wondered if there was a name for those old Windows backgrounds? You know, the one with the giant green hill or the Vista screen with the Windows logo on it? Well, there's a name for that now. Frutiger Aero, according to Aesthetics Wiki is described as: 

"a broad design style and aesthetic that was prevalent in advertising, media, stock imagery and technology from roughly 2004 to 2013, following the end of the Y2K era. Overlapping with the McBling and ElectroPop 08 aesthetics, it is characterized by its vast use of Skeuomorphism, glossy textures, cloudy skies, tropical fish, water, bubbles, glass, lens flare, sprawling patterns, "humanism", aero glass, bokeh, Frutiger fonts, Abstract Tech, auroras and bright, vibrant colors (usually greens and blues)."

    

this might be familiar to you

    Because I've been so obsessed with this, I researched some desktop wallpapers to decorate my computer with because I just couldn't get enough of it. It reminded me of liminal spaces, or the old computers I used to mess around with as a kid. Here are some of my favorites that I've found!

    As you can see, this aesthetic often involves glossy textures, water, greenery, and a little bit of liminality thrown in there. A while back I wrote about how the Y2K aesthetic has taken over our generation's collective consciousnesses; I still think that's true, but I also think that this is a subculture derivative of that same idea. It's strange and fascinating how we seem to grasp onto old technology and culture every 20 years or so. I imagine some fashion mogul is currently trying to figure out how to incorporate this into clothing. The closest thing I can think of would be "cyber Y2K," which involves a lot of the same textures and ideas. It's sort of hard to explain, so in order to get a good picture, this is close to what I'm talking about:

    Old flip phones, CDs, digital cameras, juicy couture track suits, those sunglasses Destiny's Child used to wear. You could attribute most of this to Paris Hilton, who basically cultivated fashion in the 2000s. 

    Essentially, Frutiger Aero can be best described as "mid-2000s computer office aesthetic," combined with stock photos and presentation vectors. All part of the story that was Y2K. I was a kid when this stuff was popular, so it really takes me down a path of nostalgia. Will this aesthetic stick around or will it become another passing subculture like "sea punk?" (A story for another day.) Only time can tell. I can say for myself, I'm already getting a little tired of the Y2K aesthetic already and I'm yearning for my teenage Tumblr years again, which I know will become popular as the decade passes.

    Tell me what you think of this! Does it give you nostalgic feelings too?