Design, what is it?
Retro, but why?
Graphic design is the fact of conceptualizing a special object (illustration, work for business or press, publishing, music covers, movie posters, packaging, advertising, web-design, signage and many others) for visual communication in new media, to serve marketing, to create advertising or to rich art’s culture. It aims to promote document and inform a target of population about a venue, an artist or other events that will be formatted to a specific format of printing or digital world. A graphic designer is an intermediary between a client and the public that he’s intended. He receives some instructions about the graphic to provide final work to a population defined by his instructor. Everything on paper (poster, flyer, cover, magazine…) or digital (web-design, website, banner, social networking, entertainment, TV spot). Its history accompanies that of humanity through the prehistoric men drawings in the caves of Lascaux, legendary painters such as Leonardo DeVinci, Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh to finish today in graffiti street art at Rio, New York or Tokyo.
The retro iconography, which can be assimilated to words like Kitsch, Old school or Vintage, means a visual or musical style with a past trend from the 80s (or before) or a bygone cultural current. This term can be found in advertising, media, cinema, art or especially into the world of Synthwave music.
How to recognize Retro Design genres
– dark dominant colors with black, purple, pink and blue
– primary logo with 3D thick stick typography, chrome metallic texture with mountain reflections
– secondary logo with handwritten typography, lasing or neon colors
– mountain gradient fill or 3D wireframe in background
– dark and starry sky
– chrome robot or humanoid in 3D wireframe
– futuristic sports car in full speed
– War Games
– clear dominant colors with sky blue, pink, orange and yellow
– primary logo with thick stick typography, solid color
– secondary logo with handwritten typography in flashy color
– sun with orange and yellow gradient, sometimes with horizontal cuts
– clear and sunny sky or sunset
– coconut trees along a road
– 80s sports car in full speed
– pin-up in 80’s fashion
– Miami Vice
– The Beverly Hills Cop
– dark dominant colors with black, red and blue
– primary logo with handwritten typography or painting effect, aggressive color
– secondary logo with handwritten typography, aggressive color
– illustration in horror’s theme (monsters, zombies, skeletons…)
– sexy woman in vampire or retro-futuristic style
– upside down cross, upside star or other symbol of the dark side