2Druwheid

2Druwheid is a neologism used in Dutch-language discussions of digital aesthetics to describe a specific visual quality in two-dimensional media. It refers to the impression of roughness, grit, or texture that is conveyed without any actual three-dimensional depth. The term combines the abbreviation 2D, for two-dimensional representations, with ruwhheid (roughness) to capture how flat images can still feel tactile or imperfect.

The central idea of 2Druwheid is that texture and materiality can be suggested through purely two-dimensional cues. Techniques associated with 2Druwheid include irregular line work, speckling, halftone patterns, grain, dithering, jagged edges, and deliberate shading contrasts. These cues make surfaces appear weathered, handmade, or authentic while remaining flat on the screen or page.

In practice, 2Druwheid is used across graphic design, illustration, user interface design, and game art to evoke mood, nostalgia, or a sense of tactility. It is often employed to achieve a retro or artisanal aesthetic, to counteract the perceived sterility of ultra-clean digital styles, or to communicate character and grit without relying on 3D modeling.

Notes on usage vary: some designers treat 2Druwheid as a deliberate stylistic constraint, while others see it as a byproduct of limited resources or early-era techniques. It is distinct from true three-dimensional roughness, which relies on depth and lighting, and from flat design, which intentionally minimizes texture.

See also: texture in digital art, halftone, grain, retro aesthetics, skeuomorphism. Etymologically, the term fuses 2D with roughness to describe rough, tactile cues implemented in flat imagery.