When Did "Ugly" Become Cool?
Scroll through the portfolios of the hottest web design studios in 2025, and you'll notice something odd: websites that look like they were designed by someone who actively hates polish. Bold borders that could double as construction barriers. Drop shadows so hard they could cut glass. Colors that clash with the confidence of a toddler's crayon drawing.
This is Neobrutalism—and it's taking over the internet.
GeoCities, table layouts, animated GIFs. Functional chaos.
Leather textures, realistic shadows, 3D buttons. iOS-inspired polish.
Minimalism, thin fonts, muted colors. "Everything looks the same."
Hard shadows, thick borders, bold colors. Rebellion against sameness.
What Is Neobrutalism?
Neobrutalism (sometimes called Neo-Brutalism or simply "anti-design") is a web design movement characterized by:
| Element | Traditional Design | Neobrutalism |
|---|---|---|
| Shadows | Soft, diffused (blur 8-20px) | Hard, offset (4px 4px 0 #000) |
| Borders | Subtle (1px, gray) | Thick (2-4px, solid black) |
| Colors | Muted, harmonious | High contrast, bold clashes |
| Typography | Thin, elegant sans-serif | Bold, chunky display fonts |
| Corners | Smooth (border-radius: 8-16px) | Sharp or slightly rounded (4-8px) |
| Hover Effects | Subtle color shift | Physical movement (translate) |
If the glossy, rounded-corner aesthetic of the 2010s was "come in, everything is soft and friendly," Neobrutalism says "this is a website. It knows it's a website. You know it's a website. Let's proceed."
The Brutalist Origins
The name comes from Brutalist architecture, a mid-20th century movement characterized by raw concrete, massive geometric structures, and a complete rejection of decorative elements.
"Brutalism is not about being brutal, but about honesty and truth to materials." — Architectural critic
Why Neobrutalism (Not Just Brutalism)?
Pure Brutalist web design can be genuinely hostile to users. Early examples were intentionally difficult to navigate, with broken layouts and deliberately confusing interfaces.
Neobrutalism takes the aesthetic principles—the bold borders, the hard shadows, the structural honesty—but applies them to functional, usable designs. It's Brutalism that went to UX school.
Why Is It Having a Moment?
Several cultural currents are driving Neobrutalism's rise:
After a decade of "flat design" and "material design," users are exhausted by sameness. When every app and website looks like it was designed by the same AI trained on Dribbble shots, standing out requires doing something different.
Gen Z gravitates toward "authentic" aesthetics. The polished, corporate look feels manufactured. Neobrutalism's deliberate roughness reads as genuine, even rebellious.
There's growing nostalgia for the early web—GeoCities, personal homepages, sites made by individuals rather than corporations. Neobrutalism captures some of that handmade energy while remaining modern.
Indie games have proven "rough" aesthetics can be charming and commercially successful. Games like Undertale, Papers Please, and Return of the Obra Dinn showed that style trumps fidelity.
The user-hostile design practices of the 2010s—manipulative UX, hidden costs—created a backlash. Neobrutalism's "what you see is what you get" aesthetic is almost a promise: we won't try to trick you.
How to Identify Neobrutalism
Here's a quick checklist:
The Criticism
Not everyone is a fan. Critics argue that Neobrutalism:
Fair points, all. Like any design trend, Neobrutalism can be done well or done poorly. The key is using it intentionally—not just slapping hard shadows on everything because it's trendy.
Where Does It Work Best?
| Great Fit ✓ | Less Ideal ✗ |
|---|---|
| Creative portfolios | Banking & finance |
| Gaming & entertainment | Healthcare & medical |
| Tech startups | Government services |
| Personal blogs | Senior-focused products |
| Educational content | Luxury/high-end brands |
"In a world of infinite polish, the unpolished becomes the most polished statement of all." — Design Philosophy
- Neobrutalism = Brutalist aesthetics + functional UX
- Drive by design fatigue, authenticity craving, and Web 1.0 nostalgia
- Key elements: hard shadows, thick borders, bold typography, visible structure
- Works best for creative, gaming, and personality-driven projects
- Use intentionally—the aesthetic must serve the content, not overshadow it
Conclusion: Ugly Is Beautiful
Neobrutalism reminds us that "beautiful" is not synonymous with "smooth, rounded, and gradient-faded." Beauty can live in boldness, in contrast, in the unapologetic statement of what something is.
Whether you love it or hate it, Neobrutalism has made the web more interesting. And in a medium that was becoming dangerously homogenous, that's a victory worth celebrating.
Welcome to the era of ugly. It looks pretty good from here.
- Brutalist Websites Gallery - brutalistwebsites.com
- Awwwards Neobrutalism Collection
- "A Brief History of Brutalism in Web Design" - Smashing Magazine