This month, our Artist of the Month is Solinus!
Watch the previous YouTube short here, new one coming soon.
Here's our interview with Solinus:
- Can you introduce yourself and share a bit about your background?
Hi! I’m Solinus, a designer and web developer that works in a variety of styles, but mainly Frutiger Aero. Whatever comes to my mind, I will design.
- What inspired you to become an artist?
In 2019, I started out by downloading different Google Slides themes from websites such as slidesgo.com, and the variety and design quality of those templates really appealed to me and made my presentations stand out. I loved combing through the layouts and configuring each graphic element to create an effective presentation. At one point, I even redesigned a Civil War presentation for my history teacher. In early 2021, I started out by redesigning a few of the school notices on the website by using Canva templates. Around March 2021, I noticed the “oversimplified logos” meme and realized the potential of an untapped market of people who prefer detailed and beautiful design, and the rest is history.
- How did you first discover Frutiger Aero as an aesthetic, and what drew you to it?
Around the same time I started creating ‘skeuomorphic’ designs, I joined a Discord server about skeuomorphism, where I learned about Frutiger Aero. At the time, it was still a very niche design style and considered a subgenre of skeuomorphism. I enjoyed the fusion of shiny glass and detailed icons combined with futuristic swishes, auroras, and nature elements.
- How would you describe your art style?
It is very hard to say when I have a wide range of design styles, from flat and simple to dimension and gloss galore. My main style however as seen on my website involves earth tones and cozy visuals mixed with the shine and gloss of Frutiger Aero. For other projects, I think about how it’ll feel if it were to become a real life item, an example being a game map HUD I made in June of 2024.
- Can you walk us through your creative process from idea to finished piece?
I begin by looking up images that fit my overall concept and assembling them into a moodboard. I then create rough layouts with rectangles, sketches, and text boxes deciding where elements should be placed. Once I’m satisfied with the layout, I create the final version with proper spacing and detail, iterating and adjusting as I go along, until it looks just right.
- What tools or mediums do you prefer to use, and why?
I mainly use Figma due to its unparalleled versatility and speed for it being a free tool. Features such as auto layout, a type of group that evenly spaces out elements by a set amount—and styles, a palette that stores fills, text styles, and shadow/blur effects—speed up my design process heavily. However, Figma has its limitations and I hope to learn to integrate more tools in the near future such as Blender and Photoshop/Photopea.
- How do you overcome creative blocks?
I usually take a break from designing, and come back when I feel like it or when inspiration strikes me. I sometimes remake my old designs, using techniques I learned from experience.
- What inspires your work? Are there specific themes, emotions, or stories you aim to convey?
I have a section at my links page called “Galleries and Archives” containing links to many websites that showcase and archive many different designs, from cari.institute to the Frutiger Aero Archive.
- Are there any artists, aesthetics, or movements that have influenced your style?
Besides well-known figures such as nitzukai, MondySpartan, and sonnie thoughts that have influenced my work, Kyle Halevi is a professional UI designer that has worked with real companies. His design style is a more modern and subtle take on skeuomorphism. Whenever something feels ‘off’ in a design, I often contact him and discuss any design issues.
- What role does the Frutiger Aero aesthetic play in your art?
It gives my work a particular calm and refreshing feel that I enjoy. Due to its focus on gloss and lighting, it helps me in determining lighting and shadow in other, non-aero works.
- What has been the most challenging piece you’ve created, and why?
The most challenging piece I ever made was my Art Nouveau x Frutiger Aero mashup due to its flowy and curved style, as opposed to most UI design works with a rectangular layout. I also had to figure out how to combine two aesthetics that are a century apart, as Art Nouveau originated from the 1890s to the 1910s.
- Can you share a piece you’re especially proud of and why it’s significant to you?
I am quite proud of my Aesthetic Eras infographic because it shows just how wide my “design range” can be, covering 4 different design styles at once. Despite my bread and butter being Frutiger Aero, designing the Memphis section has been the most fun due to its varied textures and design.
- How has being part of the Frutiger Aero community influenced your artistic journey?
The Frutiger Aero community led me to discover many different artists that influenced my design style and was the niche I was looking for when I began my design journey. It has also introduced me to several artists that shaped my design style into what it is today.
- What do you hope people take away from your art?
I hope that people, especially UI designers, see the value of beautiful and functional user interfaces. Like modern architecture, many UI designers believe that their designs must merely be functional with almost no regard for aesthetic appeal.
- Do you have any upcoming projects or goals you’re excited about?
I have currently been commissioned to collaborate with a developer to create a ratings app. As this is still in the early stages at time of writing, I have yet to decide what direction this project would take.
- Where can people find more of your work or support you?
My website is at solinus.neocities.org, where besides my designs, it also hosts my other hobbies, such as clock collecting and flower pressing. If you want to commission me, visit my commissions page. I also post on Bluesky, Reddit, and Tumblr.
- If you could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?
I would like to collaborate with my inspirations and influences, namely nitzukai, MondySpartan, and sonnie thoughts.
- What’s a fun fact about you that most people wouldn’t know?
I was born on the day that Windows Vista was released for the public: January 30.
- Do you have a favorite Frutiger Aero memory or moment?
I remember digging out the old family computer with Windows Vista in the late 2010s to see if it can run, and messing around with it. It did work until around 2018 or 2019 when the graphics always glitched out after a few minutes of logging in.
- If you could describe your artistic journey in three words, what would they be?
Progress, inspiration, refinement.
- What advice would you give to aspiring artists who are inspired by Frutiger Aero?
Minimalism is key. Let the glass, lines, swooshes, and photography speak for themselves.
- Is there anything else you’d like to share with the Frutiger Aero community?
While I haven’t been as involved in the Frutiger Aero community due to my wide range of design work, I’m still glad there is an audience that appreciates beautiful, glossy and dimensional graphics and user interfaces as was common in the 2000s and early 2010s.
Here are some of Solinus' Frutiger Aero Artworks / Projects:
