Frutiger Aero (also known as Web 2.0 Gloss) is a design aesthetic that was prevalent from roughly late 2004 to 2013, overlapping with Y2K Futurism in the mid-2000s and eventually succeeding it, also overlapping with the Frutiger Metro and Recession Pop aesthetics. It is characterized by its 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 (typically white, green, and blue). The aesthetic's timeline coincides with the early days of Web 2.0 and the transition from feature phones to smartphones.
This aesthetic was originally unnamed; at the time, its visual elements were often associated with specific hardware and software elements depicted in box art and promotional material (e.g. Windows Aero, iOS's skeuomorphic icons, and the visuals of Mirror's Edge and Spore) rather than a broader aesthetic. While some referred to the glossy elements as "Web 2.0 Gloss" during its mainstream period, this term described a specific aspect of Frutiger Aero rather than the aesthetic as a whole. Frutiger Aero encompasses many subgenres and related aesthetics, including Frutiger Metro, Technozen, and Frutiger Eco.
The aesthetic is named after Adrian Frutiger (1928–2015), a Swiss designer who created the Frutiger fonts commonly used within the aesthetic, and Windows Aero by Microsoft, the UI theme for pre-release builds of Windows (codenamed Longhorn, later Windows Vista/7). "Aero" is a backronym for "Authentic, Energetic, Reflective, and Open." The term "Frutiger Aero" was coined in 2017 by Sofi Lee of the Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute and gained widespread recognition in the early-mid 2020s, leading to renewed interest in the aesthetic.[1]