#abstract tech

By Vangie

First on April's features

"the purest most beautiful most intricate most terrifying continuums of every synapse firing in your brain"

Round 1, Match 116 — Cutecore vs. Abstract Tech

Cutecore (often used interchangeably with Cutegore) is an internet aesthetic that originated in its current form around 2020. The style is characterized by the deliberate juxtaposition of traditional kawaii imagery, such as Sanrio mascots, frills, and pastel colors, with signifiers of somatic horror, violence, and psychological distress. The aesthetic originated on Tumblr mainly featuring interior design, but now includes digital edits after being popularized on TikTok. Common visual elements include anime characters depicted with injuries, blood splatters, bandages, pixelations, and digital compression artifacts. Cutecore relies on the juxtaposition between childhood innocence and corruption. Unlike Gurokawa, which often features stylized or cartoonish gore, Cutecore frequently utilizes photorealistic assets, such as textures of blood, bruising, or medical gauze, overlaid onto soft, juvenile imagery. The primary method involves modifying cute subjects (typically anime characters or plush toys) with evidence of physical harm, including bandages, eyepatches, and splattered fluids. However, kawaii digital stickers are also common, such as Sanrio characters, kaomoji, caramel pudding, cake, pastel rainbows (usually pink, yellow, and blue), nostalgic 2000s technology (e.g., Nintendo DS), strawberries common in stationery from the Heisei era, and overlayed falling stars in pastel colors. Cutecore interior design operates on a spectrum between the disorganized "NEET" environment and highly curated maximalist display spaces. A central feature of these rooms is the "character shrine," where large collections of merchandise (specifically plush toys (Rilakkuma) and anime figures) are densely arranged on shelves or beds. The arrangement often creates a wall of texture, utilizing the repetition of specific characters like My Melody or Rilakkuma to create visual impact. Rooms may or may not feature horror elements (such as Silent Hill posters); for example, the aesthetic's originator on Tumblr often used dimly lit settings to create a sense of anxiety. The color palette is strictly controlled, dominated by varying shades of pink, from pastel to hot pink, often accented with white or strawberry red. Lighting plays an important role in establishing the atmosphere; users frequently employ pink LED strips or filtered natural light to cast a hazy, dreamlike glow over the room, softening the edges of the clutter.

vs.

Abstract Tech consists of design motifs, such as concentric arcs, hexagons, or circuit patterns, that are intended to represent the abstract concept of “technology,” or evoke a sense of something being futuristic or technologically advanced. This aesthetic can primarily be found in science fiction media of the Digital Age, such as user interfaces (holographic touchscreens and heads-up displays), depictions of cyberspace, and other technological imagery. Examples include interfaces from Minority Report (2002) and Iron Man (2008), or the video game TRON 2.0 (2003) and the film TRON: Legacy (2010), as well as stock images and backgrounds/wallpapers related to keywords like "technology," "high-tech," "digital," or "cyber." Abstract design motifs often described as "high-tech" include: glowing lines (usually blue or white or glowing blue backgrounds) representing energy/power, hypothetical concepts of transparent or holographic touchscreen interfaces, segmented concentric arcs and circles of varying thicknesses (artificial geometric designs), hexagons (a simple, yet advanced and efficient higher area-to-perimeter ratio and tileable) shape, printed circuit board patterns found in most electronic devices, binary numbers (the basis of most digital signals and data or other forms of computer code), dots connected by lines representing the Internet or connectivity, and visual imagery and concepts of artificial intelligence, robots, or robotic body parts. In stock images, symbols such as locks (representing cybersecurity) or the shape of a brain (representing artificial intelligence) may be combined with the aforementioned motifs as well. The use of technology in business may be portrayed as a businessperson tapping a floating touchscreen with the associated design elements. By the Late-2010s, some commentators considered this stock imagery to be cliché. Graphical user interfaces like these only appear in science fiction (known as "fantasy user interfaces" or FUIs), stock images, or in user-customized desktop skins and widgets using software such as Rainmeter. Most default GUIs of tech products today tend to lean more towards the Flat Design aesthetic, which is intended to be more simple and user-friendly.

Stimboards of every aesthetic in alphabetical order part 6