Brutalist architects exposed raw concrete because hiding it cost more. What's our excuse?
We just like it:)
A year ago,
@Ansh Jamdagni and I built
Loopin as a Framer template for a cassette brand that exists only as a thought experiment.
We thought of making a nostalgic yet futuristic product website and neobrutalist design was our go for this dreamy product. We posted it on Contra expecting nothing in particular.
A few months later,
Other Health Ventures, a VC firm backing health and performance startups, got in touch.
They were tired of looking like every other fund, had seen Loopin and wanted their site built with the same instincts less navy, more hard borders and Archivo Black. They've become one of our favourite clients since.
A product designer later asked for her portfolio in the same language. No brief beyond "that, but for me."
What we didn't clock until the third one: this style takes more decisions than minimal design, not fewer. Minimalism hides things. This doesn't. Every border, every oversized headline, every quiet corner is a choice that has to land on its own.
Tools, for the curious:
— Framer for all three
— GPT for Loopin's product shots (not real cassette players unfortunately, several people have asked)
— Mostly restraint, applied unevenly on purpose:)
What's a design choice you've made that looks effortless but took the most thinking?