Themed Design Challenge 3 - Frutiger Aero [Submissions Open]

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Frutiger Aero
From Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia

Frutiger Aero refers to a design style that was prominent between the mid-2000s and early 2010s. It originated in user interfaces–namely Windows Vista and its Windows Aero architecture–but later influenced various other media, product design and marketing. The term was assigned retrospectively in 2017 by Sofi Xian, and as of the 2020s, has experienced a resurgence as an object of nostalgia.

History

Frutiger Aero succeeded the Y2K aesthetic, its name derived from the aforementioned Windows Aero design language and the Frutiger font family developed by Adrian Frutiger. Its reflective elements also led it to be known as Web 2.0 Gloss.
The style–though it didn’t have a common name at the height of its influence–was used in many kinds of media like advertising, the seventh-generation video game consoles, architecture, interior design, automotive design.

Car interiors adopted Frutiger Aero traits—skeuomorphic interfaces, glossy material, organic themes.
Themes and Characteristics

Frutiger Aero art often features optimistic natural imagery and bright colors–a utopic depiction of a digital future where nature and technology are intertwined. Common nature-themed design motifs include blue skies, lens flares, aurorae, tropical beaches, the sea, forests, and other vistas.
Another distinctive element of the style is skeuomorphism–the visualization of real objects in user interfaces with attributes that mimic their real-world counterparts in how they appear and/or how the user can interact with them. This tactile quality is an essential part of Frutiger Aero.
Frutiger Aero emerged alongside technological developments such as those that enabled Windows Vista to incorporate its ‘glass’ effects and other advanced features at the time.

See also

Real Wiki page – For deeper research
Interesting Reddit post – Some cars may not meet the requirements but the aesthetic applies

Brief & Guidelines.ini - Notepad
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[Brief]

Focusing on Frutiger Aero’s themes of optimism, nature, exploration, and technological progress, you are assigned the task of designing a vehicle of any kind, suited to navigating and inhabiting its world.

Picture yourself heading into a Frutiger Aero landscape, winding road or city to explore, unwind or simply inhabit it.

[Hard-set_Rules]

Allowed_BodyTypes= ALL   ; all automation bodytypes

Allowed_VehicleClasses= ALL   ; sports, utility, city, leisure, etc

Design_Type= CONCEPTS ONLY!   ; will be lenient as some concepts look more or less like production ready designs

Min_Wheel_Count= 3   ; at least 3 wheels

Max_Wheelbase= 2.80m   ; ≈110in (visually / not game stats)

Model+Trim_Year= 2003 – 2013

Advanced_Trim_Settings= ALL ALLOWED

Advertisement= REQUIRED   ; provide an ad or showcase post

Interior= JUDGED   ; interiors will be evaluated—since the inspirations feature a lot of glass or open roof designs—but aren’t required

Engineering= NOT JUDGED

[Judging_Criteria]

Theme_Adherence_priority= HIGH

Concept_priority= HIGH   ; overall design as well as the cohesion, purpose and appeal within the setting of the challenge

Detailing_priority= MID

Proportions_priority= LOW

[Compatibility]

Open_Beta= ALLOWED | Stable_Release= ALLOWED

Submissions

Model and Family names:
TDC3 [BETA or STABLE] - Forum Username

Trim and Variant Names:
Whatever

Submissions OPEN:
28 JUL,2025

Submissions CLOSE:
31 AUG,2025 - 23:59—your local time

No re-submissions!

All submissions must be sent in via forum DMs to @pen15

36 Likes
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2012 Toyota FT-Bh Concept

2007 Citroen C-Cactus Concept

Citroen C-Cactus (Interior)

2008 Ford Explorer America Concept

2009 Citroen REVOLTe Concept

2009 Renault Fluence ZE Concept

2007 Nissan Intima Concept

2003 Skoda Roomster Concept

2011 BMW i8 Concept (Interior)

2011 Honda EV Ster Concept

Honda EV Ster Concept (Interior)

2011 Nissan Pivo 3 Concept

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2007 Volkswagen Space Up Blue Concept

2011 Volkswagen Buggy Up Concept

2006 Toyota Fine-T Fuel Cell Hybrid Concept

2009 Renault Zoe ZE Concept (Interior)

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Themed Design Challenge 3.txt - Notepad
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Theme
Frutiger Aero refers to a design style that was prominent between the mid-2000s and early 2010s. It originated in user interfaces–namely Windows Vista and its Windows Aero architecture–but later influenced various other media, product design and marketing. The term was assigned retrospectively in 2017 by Sofi Xian, and as of the 2020s, has experienced a resurgence as an object of nostalgia.

Readmore in the main post or through research!

Brief

Focusing on Frutiger Aero’s themes of optimism, nature, exploration, and technological progress, you are assigned the task of designing a vehicle of any kind, suited to navigating and inhabiting its world.

Picture yourself heading into a Frutiger Aero landscape, winding road or city to explore, unwind or simply inhabit it.

Rules

Bodytypes allowed: ALL
Designs expected: CONCEPTS ONLY! (will be lenient as some concepts look more or less like production ready designs)
Maximum wheelbase: 2.8m / 110in (visually / not game stats)
Minimum amount of wheels: 3
Model and Trim Year: 2003 - 2013
All Advanced Trim Settings are allowed
Interiors will be judged but aren’t required
Engineering won’t be judged (as this is a TDC)
An ad or showcase post is required

Judging Criteria (in order of importance)

Adherence to the theme
Concept (overall design as well as the cohesion, purpose and appeal within the setting of the challenge)
Detailling
Proportions

Submissions

Model and Family names: TDC3 [BETA or STABLE] - Forum Username
Trim and Variant Names: Whatever
Submissions OPEN: 28 Jul, 2025
Submissions CLOSE: 2025-09-01T03:59:00Z—your local time
No re-submissions!
All submissions must be sent in via forum DMs to @pen15

[Changelog]
Changelog - Notepad
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[23.07.2025] ✓Added changelog (second post)
[23.07.2025] ✓Fixed Firefox rendering issues (main post)
[23.07.2025] ✓The brief now more clearly calls for concepts rather than production vehicles (second post / first post was already clear)
[24.07.2025] ✓Updated the brief to allow all bodytypes AND vehicle classes and be more clear overall
[24.07.2025] ✓Updated, reshuffled, removed 2, and added 10 new cars to the inspiration (both posts)
[24.07.2025] ✓Updated rules to be consistent across both posts
[28.07.2025] ✓Submissions open
[12.08.2025] ✓Added 'at least 3 wheels' hard-set rule. Less than ideal to add a rule so late in but it was an oversight. Sorry for any inconvenience. (both posts)
22 Likes

Holy crap…

I’m not sure if i’m gonna participate, but this html (or whatever you call it) work is absolute peak.

It has a clock with a working second hand for crying out loud!

Bravo! :clap::clap::clap:

1 Like

holy shit this is some amazing formatting and as well good writing, but cant glaze too much so 0/10 no 90s dodge

4 Likes

Are you looking for something street legal and realistic for production, or something more like a concept car?

1 Like

These are some very impressive CSS Crimes, although they’re pretty broken or at least fragile on Firefox, at least for me.

I greatly appreciate the “Simple Formatting” dropdown for cases where users can’t (or don’t want to) read the nice CSS crimes.

7 Likes

Yes, the CSS is more buggy than early iterations of Windows Vista :laughing:

2 Likes

Squeezing the guidelines of this round into your crazy CSS format took a lot of bravery and skill, but you pulled it off - especially since this is also the first pre-2020s TDC.

This formatting is crazy, amazing!

Yes I am aware of and working on a fix for the Firefox issues. It’s the only faulty browser afaik.

The brief should also change before the end of the week to avoid any confusion. Inspiration cars will be reshuffled accordingly but the theme stays the same.

5 Likes

Sounds legit, since I am on FF too.

SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN SUBMISSIONS OPEN

Themed Design Challenge 3

Submissions for TDC3 are open!

No resubmissions. All submissions must be sent to me @pen15!

10 Likes

Quick rules clarification because I just had a brainwave - when the rules say “a vehicle of any kind”, do you really mean any kind? Or just the sort of cars Automation is supposed to handle?

Could I submit something that’s not a car, but still a vehicle? A bus, a plane, a motorbike or similar… How flexible is “any kind” there? Absolutely your prerogative to say cars only, just want to check before I make some massive 3D project that ends up sadly consigned to the bin because you don’t wanna open that can of worms.

Does the maximum wheelbase still apply to cases like that?

Vehicles might’ve been broad but the inspo is pretty telling.

Let’s just say at least 3-wheeled, otherwise the wheelbase limit (which purposely doesn’t allow for a full size bus or anything like that) wouldn’t make sense. The brief also hints at (primarly :eyes:) terrestrial use-cases (“landscape”, “windind road”, “city”, etc).

Plus, I wouldn’t know how to judge actual planes/boats or bike designs anyways. Everything else that’s more alternative (like the Twizy or Mobile Terrace, even amphibious vehicles anything with at least 3 wheels!) is allowed.

Changelog

5 Likes

Dang, my Segway and/or Honda U3-X plans are dashed. Glad I asked! Might still find an oddball that’s more what you’re looking for.


is this the right direction for what i should be going for

6 Likes

:automobile: Introducing the Gigliotti Amore Concept :automobile:
Where Retro Romance Meets the Future of Driving

Step into a bold new era—wrapped in a love letter to the past. The Gigliotti Amore Concept fuses the soul of 1960s Italian design with the innovation of tomorrow, creating a driving experience unlike anything else on the road.


:sparkles: Highlights:

:small_blue_diamond: Timeless Design, Reimagined
With sleek curves, chrome accents, and vintage-inspired detailing, the Amore Concept turns heads before it even starts. It’s nostalgia—refined.

:small_blue_diamond: Fully Self-Driving
Let the Amore take control. Whether you’re navigating the city or cruising the coast, its advanced autonomous system ensures every ride is smooth, safe, and stress-free.

:small_blue_diamond: Performance That Whispers, Not Roars
Under the hood: a turbocharged inline-3 pushing 168 horsepower to all four wheels via a seamless CVT transmission. Agile, responsive, and delightfully unexpected.

:small_blue_diamond: Top Speed: 136 mph
A modern heartbeat behind that vintage silhouette.

:small_blue_diamond: All-Wheel Drive
Confidence in any weather, with traction that hugs the road like an old flame.

:small_blue_diamond: Efficiency Meets Emotion
At 19.2 mpg, it balances power with practicality—an eco-conscious cruiser that meets WES 8 emissions standards.


:heart: Why Amore?

Because love isn’t just about looks—it’s about intelligence, safety, and innovation.
The Gigliotti Amore Concept is more than a car.
It’s a romance rekindled with technology.


:oncoming_automobile: Gigliotti Amore Concept

Fall in love with driving again.

Available soon in limited release.

p.s. the black parts are glass

Where the aero?

6 Likes

Let me know if you would like any further adjustments!

1 Like