New Brutalism and web accessibility: what you need to know

New Brutalism is a trend that has been growing in popularity over the past several years. A rejection of the sleek and modernist style of buildings that came out of the post-war era, Brutalism is more raw and unrefined. In its rejection of glamor, Brutalism creates an almost industrial aesthetic, often with exposed concrete and other materials reminiscent of factories or warehouses.

There are a lot of reasons why it’s so popular with designers. It defies the trends of web design ubiquity. New Brutalism gives designers permission to have uninhibited creativity. This creativity is often expressed with characteristics like “asymmetry, broken hierarchy, broken grids, big bold typography…overlapping elements, geometric shapes, solid [and] bright colors” as described in “BRUTALIST WEB DESIGNS — The UGLIEST Design Trend of 2020”

With the rise of web accessibility as a key concern for usability professionals, it’s no surprise that Brutalist design style has caught the attention of designers. Many of its principles directly align with accessible design while others are totally at odds with them.

Here’s what you need to know about this trend and how to avoid creative pitfalls which break accessible design rules.

A brief history of New Brutalism

Brutalism is a specific architectural style, but it also has broader implications in design. The term “New Brutalism” can be traced to the 1950s and 1960s, although the architectural movement began in the years following World War II. It shares its name with the earlier Brutalism movement, but there are key differences between the two. The original Brutalism was more extreme, characterized by edifices of raw concrete with little regard for aesthetics. New Brutalism, by contrast, is more refined. Some of the guiding principles of New Brutalism include use of bold, simple shapes that serve as reminders of its industrial origins.

New Brutalism and Accessibility

A meaningful aspect of New Brutalism is its “iconic simplicity of its designs, and for its egalitarian emphasis on mass production and utility.” A key part of creating a usable experience is to make sure that the information on your site and how…