The Brutalist Design Trend in Link-in-Bio Pages

Every link-in-bio page looks the same. Rounded buttons. Soft shadows. A gradient that fades from purple to pink. Maybe a sans-serif font that's trying very hard to be friendly.

It's boring. And boring doesn't convert.

What is brutalist design?

Brutalist design comes from architecture. Raw concrete. Exposed structure. No decoration for decoration's sake. In web design, it translates to:

• -**Monospace fonts** instead of polished sans-serifs
• -**Heavy borders** instead of subtle shadows
• -**Sharp corners** instead of rounded everything
• -**High contrast** instead of soft pastels
• -**Intentional rawness** instead of corporate polish

It's not ugly. It's honest. Every element serves a purpose. Nothing is there just to look "nice."

Why it works for link pages

Link-in-bio pages have a specific job: present information clearly and drive clicks. Brutalist design excels at this because it strips away everything that doesn't serve that goal.

Clarity. Monospace fonts and strong borders create clear visual hierarchy. Each link is distinct. Each section is defined. There's no ambiguity about what's clickable and what's not.

Speed. No custom fonts to load. No gradient SVGs. No shadow calculations. Brutalist pages load fast because they're structurally simple. And speed matters — every 100ms of load time costs you 1% in conversions.

Memorability. In a sea of rounded, soft, gradient pages, a sharp-edged monospace page stands out immediately. Visitors remember it because it's different. Different is valuable.

Credibility. There's something about brutalist design that reads as "technical" and "intentional." For developers, designers, and tech creators, it signals competence. You made a design choice, not a template choice.

The backlash against sameness

The brutalist trend in link pages is a direct response to the template era. For years, platforms like Linktree offered a handful of themes and millions of people used them. The result: every link page blended together.

Creators started asking: "Why does my page look like everyone else's?" The answer was obvious — because the tools only offered surface-level customization. Change a color here, swap a font there, but the structure and feel remain identical.

Brutalist design breaks that pattern completely. It's not a theme. It's a philosophy. And it requires tools that actually give you control.

How hasl.ink embraces brutalism

We built hasl.ink with brutalist principles at its core. The platform itself uses:

• -**Geist Mono** everywhere — headers, body text, buttons
• -**Zero border radius** — every element has sharp corners
• -**Border-heavy design** — lines define space, not shadows
• -**Red accent (#FF4A4A)** — one strong color, used intentionally
• -**High contrast** — dark backgrounds, bright text, no in-between

But more importantly, the design studio gives you the tools to build your own brutalist page. Full control over borders, corners, backgrounds, hover effects. You can go full brutalist or mix it with other styles. The point is: you choose.

The elements of a brutalist link page

If you want to build a brutalist link page, here's what matters:

Typography. Pick a monospace font. JetBrains Mono, Fira Code, IBM Plex Mono, Geist Mono. Use it for everything. Headers, links, bio text. Consistency is key.

Borders. Use borders to define structure. 1px for subtle separation. 2px for emphasis. Black or white depending on your background. No soft shadows.

Colors. Pick one accent color. Use it sparingly but intentionally — for CTAs, highlights, hover states. Everything else is black, white, or gray.

Spacing. Generous padding. Let elements breathe. Brutalism isn't about cramming things together. It's about each element having its own space and purpose.

Hover effects. Keep them functional. Color inversion. Border change. Background swap. No bouncy animations or scale transforms.

Who it's for

Brutalist design isn't for everyone. And that's the point.

It's for developers who want their page to feel like a terminal. For designers who appreciate intentional rawness. For creators who are tired of looking like everyone else. For anyone who values clarity over decoration.

If your brand is warm, friendly, and colorful — brutalist probably isn't your vibe. But if your brand is sharp, technical, minimal, or intentionally edgy — this is your design language.

The trend is just starting

Brutalist web design has been growing since 2020, but it's only recently hit the link-in-bio space. As more creators prioritize differentiation over conformity, expect to see sharper edges, more monospace, and heavier borders across the space.

The soft era is ending. The sharp era is here.

Build accordingly.

Related: hasl.ink is built on brutalist principles. See the full feature list or compare it against Beacons and the best Linktree alternatives. Ready to build your own? Follow our how-to-use guide.