By: Kasey Dugan...

If you grew up in the 2000s, you might recall playing Just Dance: a video-game that taught users choreography performed by onscreen dancers. These dancers were nothing more than neon, glowing silhouettes — both faceless and nameless. 

Or you might recall watching TV and seeing Apple’s original iPod campaign commercials — also performed by faceless, dancing silhouettes. 

This style is known as Frutiger Metro: a minimalist approach to the merging of humanism and technology. (“Frutiger” is from the clean, sleek typeface. “Metro” refers to Microsoft’s design language.) 

In the last article, we looked at Frutiger Aero: an aesthetic designed to ease people into a technologically-advanced culture (but assure them that nature was still prevalent). Frutiger Aero took the maximalist approach, merging sea life and tech equipment. 

But as Frutiger Aero began to die out of trend — and our culture began to grow more comfortable with technology — there was no longer that dire need of assurance. The truth was evident: technology was altering the natural world. Or better yet, the natural world included technology. 

That coexistence is the heart of Frutiger Metro, a broad design that celebrates humans living in the high-tech world. Core elements include flat graphics, abstract flourishes, and neon colors. Stylistic elements could vary, but often featured music imagery — like boombox speakers, breakdancers, instruments, headphones, music notes, and sneakers.

Often, the abstract flourishes were offshoots of Vectorflourish: a 2000s art style that incorporated vague nature iconography in a flat, swirling style. So a boombox, for example, might be surrounded by a burst of stars, flowers, or vines. Or even indefinite shapes (sometimes dubbed Vector Vomit.) 

As a result, sometimes Frutiger Metro is known as Vector Metro under the Vectorflourish umbrella. (I know, I know — everywhere you look, this aesthetic family seems to multiply!) 

Perhaps the most interesting element of Frutiger Metro is how it relates to youthfulness. Almost always, this aesthetic was marketed toward teenagers and young adults. This is because it features imagery related to club culture: dancing, singing, and partying. 

Iconography also related to the 2000s music scene, which shaped and defined the identities of teenagers around the world. Rock music flourished in the 2000s, pushing boundaries and exploding in new subgenres like emo, punk, alternative and nu-metal. 

This was a battle of the bands. But anyone and any genre could fit under Frutiger Metro: its faceless silhouettes and vague music imagery lended itself to both “bubblegum pop” princesses and pop-punk rockstars.

Frutiger Metro heavily inspired an era of advertisements and music albums — but also, fashion.

This style was mostly seen in graphic tees and sweats. Guitars and boombox speakers are the most common icons — which were seen in both girls & boys clothing. (Almost all merch from Hannah Montana appears to be Frutiger Metro!) 

At Holy Thrift, we’re currently featuring several Frutiger-Metro-inspired tops — shop the curated collection!