WidgetCraftGet the appBrutalist · Home screen setup
Brutalist home screen setup
Brutalist widgets look deliberately raw: oversized condensed type, square corners, thick black outlines and one loud color. Nothing is rounded or shaded, which makes them very readable at a glance. This setup uses three widgets, one wallpaper and one palette so the whole screen reads as a single design.
The three brutalist widgets
- Brutalist countdown widget (4 × 2): counts the days left until a date you choose.
- Brutalist to-do list widget (4 × 2): keeps today's tasks on your home screen with boxes you can tick.
- Brutalist clock widget (4 × 2): shows the time in large numerals with the day and date beneath.
Place them top to bottom in that order and leave the row above the dock empty so the wallpaper has room.
Countdown widget settings
A countdown widget keeps one date in view: a trip, a birthday, an exam or a launch. The number of days is the hero, the event name gives it meaning and a bar shows how far along you are.
- Canvas: 360 × 180, background #FBFAF4, corner radius 0, outline 4 pt #111111
- Layout: stacked: label, number and event name, left aligned
- Text: label "Days until", size 12, color #55534C
- Numbers: Make numerals huge, bold and tightly packed so they almost touch the frame.
Free to build. Full recipe and steps.
To-do list widget settings
A to-do widget works when it is short. Three tasks, a clear title and a box to tap are enough; a long list belongs in an app.
- Canvas: 360 × 200, background #FBFAF4, corner radius 0, outline 4 pt #111111
- Text: title "Today", Bebas Neue, size 22, color #111111
- Text: count such as "1 of 3", size 12, color #55534C, right aligned
- Lists: Separate rows with full-width black rules and use square checkboxes.
Free to build. Full recipe and steps.
Clock widget settings
A digital clock is the widget most people place first. It needs to be readable from arm's length, so the time takes most of the space and the date sits quietly below it.
- Canvas: 360 × 180, background #FBFAF4, corner radius 0, outline 4 pt #111111
- Layout: header: weekday on the left and date on the right in one row at the top, a hairline under it, and the time anchored to the bottom left at size 98
- Text or Date: weekday, Bebas Neue, size 12, color #55534C, capitals, letter spacing 0.1
- Numbers: Make numerals huge, bold and tightly packed so they almost touch the frame.
Free to build. Full recipe and steps.
How to set up a brutalist home screen
- Set the wallpaper first, so you can judge every color against it.
- Build the countdown widget and add it to the home screen at 4 × 2.
- Duplicate its canvas settings for the to-do list and clock widgets so the background, radius and outline match exactly.
- Place all three, then adjust margins until the left edges line up.
- Change the icons last, and remove any app you do not use daily from the page.
Brutalist wallpaper ideas
A flat off-white, concrete grey or solid orange wallpaper works best. Photos of raw concrete or architecture also fit.
Brutalist icons and dock
Choose a black glyph or outline icon pack; hide labels if your launcher allows it.
Brutalist home screen colors
- Concrete white
#FBFAF4Background - Raw paper
#EFEDE3Surface and tracks - Black
#111111Text - Soot
#55534CLabels - Hazard orange
#FF6B2CAccent
Fonts for a brutalist home screen
Use Bebas Neue (import the font file), or the built-in Condensed at weight 700, with labels in capitals. Corner radius is 0 on every widget so the shapes match.
Do and avoid
- Keep corner radius at 0 and outlines at 3 to 4 points.
- Use one loud accent against black and off-white.
- Do not add shadows, gradients or transparency.
- Do not use light font weights.