The Brutalist Design Movement: awful or amazing?
So, you’ve probably see this in practice, it began on the web and is now making its way into print media. You’ll have surely seen examples on album covers in the past 12 months.

The Life of Pablo by Yeezy is probably the most famous example.
If I submitted this to my typography tutor, Mike when I was at university he’d probably have kicked me off my course… So what is with this new trend? Is it here to stay and what do the pros think?
I asked a few designers their opinion on the trend:
Cat Lines: Designer
I like the “Brutalist” approach, though I wouldn’t say it was brutal more editorial. I feel as though print and eclectic magazines have been using this approach for a while now to create interesting and diverse looks to their content. For fashion brands and the arts it works really well.
We (Rawnet) have used this kind of approach when designing tv or film promotional sites. The more creative subject matter lends itself to this approach really nicely, you can break the grid and not feel so constrained. However this approach might not work so well for some corporate clients as they could seem more style over substance. For corporates it is usually their heritage, knowledge and trustworthiness they want to promote, so a more straight edge is needed.
Like with everything in design it is about choosing what works for the brand of your client and the project. Push boundaries, but know when those boundaries will probably push back.
Not a fan myself.
All design (and therefore art) has it’s place, and while there are nice examples, I find the true brutalist stuff offensive. Look this site, would you be proud to say that was your portfolio? I should as hell wouldn’t.
I also hate to think how much the ‘designer’ of the Life of Pablo album cover got paid.
Matt Pascoe: Senior Conceptual Designer
I like this Brutalist style, but then I’m one of those 90s teens who couldn’t get enough of that disruptive approach to design. When I think about the influences that shaped my design eye I can see in this style a huge slice of Radiohead artist Stanley Donwood’s earlier creations for the band. Also this brings back memories of Nike advertisement from that era, where they used strong irregular typography to visualise the dynamism of their product. I think we are going to see a lot more of this approach over the next year or so as it rises in acceptance as a style — Grafik magazine already have a site that feels like it sits in the realm of Brutalism. I can’t say there are many existing Rawnet clients that I feel would be sympathetic to this renegade approach to design, however with a growing trend for pushing the editorial styling of sites we may already be heading towards a more brutal creative approach.
Neal Wright: Senior UX Designer
I do think in some areas it has its place, like fashion and music, but it has to be applied with some thought of the user audience. Some of the examples are a UX nightmare for me. Why give something the “Brutalist” approach? It needs purpose and to add value in order for it to be achieved. Don’t just create something because it looks cool or it’s the latest trend!
I’m a fan of clean lines and minimalist, typically Scandinavian design so this style jars with my usual taste, however I can’t help but like some applications of the style.

Like the Mura Masa album cover, maybe because I like the artist and I feel the style matches the music… maybe because in essence it is minimal design with strong sans serif typography, who knows…
Let us know what you think.
