:PROPERTIES: :ID: cfd05ee0-488d-4b28-ab97-5fe6fe4a5cae :END: #+title: Brut CSS #+Author: Yann Esposito #+Date: [2022-10-23] - tags :: [[id:a5be1daf-1010-428f-a30f-8faf95c1a42f][blog]] [[id:d5bc6532-b50e-4155-bb61-7851649b522e][css]] * BRUT CSS Since a while now, I really like the concepts attached to brutalism in web design. In fact behind the apparent crude aspect of a brutalist website there is often a system that is in front of its users as naked as possible with a single aspect visible, utility. Everything else being removed. I agree, that having both something that is nice to look at and very useful is great. But I feel that it is interesting to play with a web application that is focused on UX efficiency and not so much on the look and feel, the UI, images, etc… Using a brutalist design forces you to focus on the immediate utility and not lose your time on choosing the right nuance of color that would be the nicest. Not lose time on which image would convey the best sentiment. And only focus on the crude utility of your tool. Furthermore, building a web application with a brutalist look & feel has an immediate effect. It screams that it is not a website for everyone. It focus on the content and not on the aspect. So after some time, I finally built my own specialized "CSS Framework". The end goal of this framework is to help in the building of Nerd-targeted web applications. What I mean by that, is that in most of my professional experience, I had to build internal administration tools that I needed to share with other developers and managers. I am also recently fond some aspect of "Brutalism". The idea I like the most is about, going directly to the useful and tear appart anything else. And having something pleasing to the eye is quite often in direct contradiction with having a professional tool. A good hammer does not have to be beautiful, it must just be a hammer. In fact, if I was to give you a hammer in gold with incrusted diamonds and nice decorations it would probably be a shitty hammer for the sake of planting nails. So here it is. - I want a framework with insane density of information. Which is in direct opposition with best modern design practices when it come to website. Most new websites are just... Empty, full of nothingness for you to breathe... I don't want that for my tools. - A minimalist framework. The framework should be mostly finished, I will probably not add many new features along the time. Having a constrained, limited number of components is the feature. - It should immediately be obvious, the application is for professional use, and should intimidate just by its look and feel any non core-user/developer to use it. * LLM corrected > TL;DR: Link to the brutalist CSS framework https://brut.esy.fun As I've delved deeper into the world of brutalist web design, I've grown increasingly fascinated by its underlying principles. Behind the seemingly crude exterior of a brutalist website lies a system that strips away unnecessary elements and presents itself to users as bare-bones utility. While it's true that having both form and function is ideal, I believe there's value in exploring websites that prioritize UX efficiency over aesthetics. By focusing on the immediate utility of an application rather than getting bogged down in nuances like color palette or image selection, we can create tools that are unapologetically functional. Using a brutalist design approach forces us to confront our priorities and eliminate distractions. We're not tempted to waste time agonizing over the perfect shade of blue or which image best conveys a particular sentiment. Instead, we focus on crafting a tool that gets the job done with minimal fuss. One of the most compelling aspects of brutalism is its ability to immediately convey a sense of purpose. A website built in this style screams "not for everyone" and focuses attention squarely on the content rather than trying to impress visitors with flashy visuals. Recently, I've been working on my own specialized CSS framework designed specifically for building nerd-targeted web applications. This project grew out of my professional experience creating internal administration tools that needed to be shared with other developers and managers. Here are my goals for this framework: - I want a dense, information-rich environment that defies modern design best practices and eschews empty space. - I'm aiming for a minimalist approach with a limited number of components. This will help me avoid adding unnecessary features over time. - The application should immediately convey its professional nature and intimidate non-core users from trying to use it.