Summary

Brutalist web design, personally, I love it! And if I ever make another WP theme, it would be a brutalist one. Especially since WordPress doesn’t offer that much and one author stands way above all the others. Here are the themes that I found.

What is Brutalist Web Design?

Brutalist web design takes cues from the architectural movement of the same name, known for its use of raw concrete, geometric forms, and a rejection of decorative elements. What does that mean in a web design sense:

• Heavy Use of Typography: Large, bold text with limited imagery. This is the defining aspect of brutalism for me. Just bold and large, no curls ever!
• Hard Edges & Monochrome Palettes: Avoidance of gradients, shadows, or soft UI elements. If you want corporate blue-purple gradient, run away, this is not for you!
• Layouts: Just simple and kind of all over the place, the rules are here to be broken.
• Unconventional UX/UI: Intentionally jarring and sometimes even counterintuitive. Brutalism isn’t here to make things simpler.
• Minimal or No Styling: I would say not all, but some brutalist websites go with little to no CSS, relying on default HTML elements.

Is Brutalism for you?

If you want to stand out, look authentic, just be cool, then yes, brutalism is for you. It’s simply a  reaction to the overly polished, corporate, and predictability of modern website boredom. I would say these are the main reasons why go with brutalism:

• Authenticity: Stripped-down, honest design that focuses on content.
• Speed & Performance: Simple code with fewer assets results in faster load times.
• Experimental Creativity: Breaking the mold of traditional web layouts.
• Memorability: A distinct, recognizable identity in a sea of homogeneous designs.

If you are looking for brutalist inspiration, I would advice to look here – https:/brutalistwebsites.com/

Criteria for selection:

• Modern WEB and WordPress standards
• No Market themes – I do NOT recommend market themes, ever, if you want to know why, read this article. (https://minimalio.org/never-ever-will-i-use-themeforest-themes/)
• Responsivity is a must
• Fast and reliable, I have tested them myself

WPKoi WordPress Themes

These themes are my absolute favorite, there are so many of them, and one is better than the other. Just epic! WPKOI has managed to put together an impressive portfolio of themes for personal use, e-shops, agencies, blogs and more. The themes are ranging from colorful and dark designs to classic structures and innovative template parts, all in one place.

All of them are available for free and with additional premium features. They are made with Elementor page builder in mind, the most popular builder in WordPress, which makes them very easy to adjust and make your website look truly brutalist.

https://wpkoi.com

Here are just a few of my personal favorites:

Vedana by WPKoi Theme

Available as free on the WP repository or you can purchase extra options that are definitely worth the money.  So, if you want to embrace your creative vision and establish a striking online presence with Vedana WPKoi WordPress Theme. Whether blogging, running a business, or showcasing your creative work, Vedana offers a canvas for your digital aspirations.

https://wordpress.org/themes/vedana

Achit by WPKoi Theme

Another fantastic WPKoi brutalist theme. Just embrace your creativity and establish a unique online presence. Whether you’re a blogger, business owner, or creative professional, Achit offers a canvas for your digital aspirations. Achit just blends stunning aesthetics and user-friendly features to ensure your website stands out.

https://wpkoi.com/achit-wpkoi-wordpress-theme

Minimalio

Even though Minimalio is advertised more like a minimalist theme, rather than a brutalist one, it’s a perfect starting point to make a brutalist website. It gives you the necessary options, to create a portfolio website, with bold and unique look, especially thanks to the modern responsive typography, so that you can have a gigantic heading on your desktop, that will always fit on the mobile screen.

Minimalio offers demos you can import with specific brutalist designs, so that you have a starting point for your content.

https://wordpress.org/themes/minimalio

W95 theme by Brutalist themes

You want to be really non-conformist, well these guys are here for you. They have a couple of themes, one crazier than the other and they are all awesome. Other than the classic Windows 95 look, which btw, I am impressed how well that works, I am a lover of CRT TVs so the theme inspired by those, is my absolute favorite.

https://brutalistthemes.com/downloads/w95

Honorable mentions:

Here are some other brutalist themes that I found that I think should be mentioned. All of them are free, but don’t offer additional premium features, which could be an issue, because if you have a problem, there is no one to ask, no one to blame.

Brute

Brute looks like a proper brutalist theme to me. It aims to be harsh, honest, utilitarian, and useful. It is a good portfolio pick for architects, design studios, and creative organizations. It’s developed by Automattic, developers that stand by developing WordPress, so quality is given, but all of their themes don’t really offer that much adjustability, it’s kind of give and take.

https://wordpress.org/themes/brute

Trellick

Again, theme from Automattic and as they say: “Trellick is a raw, brutalist blog theme that strips away the polished veneer of the samey web design to show the untamed essence of the digital realm.” And it sure is, very raw!

https://wordpress.org/themes/trellick

Final thoughts:

If you want to stand out, look bold, brutalism is definitely for you. If you want something more subtle and minimalist, please check out my theme Minimalio.