It began with the anti-smartphone movement and vinyl records, followed by Gen-Z’s preference for point-and-shoot cameras over the latest smartphone camera with a gazillion pixels. We are amidst a revival of retro and vintage aesthetics as we race towards complete digitisation. Film cameras are fetching big bucks; colours are muted. Bold fonts, grainy textures and mid-century design elements are making a strong comeback.
Everything old is new again.
As a web and graphic designer, I’m naturally sensitive to aesthetics. As a consumer, I’m sitting here typing out this article while listening to Khruangbin’s music: a mesh of classic soul and psychedelic funk.
I find it fascinating to examine the resurgence of vintage and retro aesthetics, so much so that Australia’s most mainstream apparel brand, Bonds, has jumped on the retro aesthetic bandwagon.
What is driving us (or maybe just me?) to painstakingly search for the perfect Lightroom presets that emulate the Kodak/Fujifilm/Ilford film stock of yesteryears?
Nostalgia in Uncertain Times
History tells us that the resurgence of throwback designs happens during periods of turbulence and uncertainty, triggered by a collective sense of nostalgia.
Quoting Sarial-Abi, et al. (2017), Stitching Time: Vintage Consumption Connects the Past, Present and Future, Journal of Consumer Psychology 27, 2, pp.182–194:
People whose meaning structures had been threatened, for example, by being reminded of their own eventual death, preferred vintage products more than others who had not experienced a meaning threat, and more than similar non-vintage products.
People seek comfort in the familiar as the world grapples with rapid changes and uncertainty — whether economic, environmental or social. Retro design, with its warm, earthy colour palettes and simple geometric shapes, evokes memories of a time perceived as simpler and more stable. Mid-century modern influences, from chunky serif fonts to muted tones, create an emotional connection similar to flipping through your childhood photo album.
The Rise of Humans Against Artificial Intelligence
This was always bound to happen: in a time where generative AI is creating near-perfect, incredibly high-resolution and hyper-polished designs, we are craving the opposite — something that feels real, human, and, dare I say…imperfect. Our desire to display our humanness explains why grainy images, distressed fonts and hand-drawn illustrations have made their way back to mainstream digital and web design. These imperfections evoke a sense of artisan and craftmanship, reminding us of a time before the homogenisation of machine intelligence.
A Reaction to Digital Fatigue
Is anyone else feeling overwhelmed by the constant stream of content and chasing after algorithms? Does it feel like sometimes even Google doesn’t know what it is doing? We are experiencing digital fatigue as a collective. Overloaded with more information than we can ever consume, we also tired of the hyper-clean and sterile images and digital environments. Retro design, with its quirks and imperfections, contrasts the “machine-made” look.
While trends are cyclical, vintage and retro designs have always been on the fringe. Appearing in mainstream culture in the past few years is solid proof that the current state of the world jades us. Retro and vintage design aesthetics act as a pendulum, balancing that forward momentum by anchoring in the past. It’s a window to connect with eras where technology was less pervasive.
One question begs to be asked: are we merely seeking an escape through the vignette of retro aesthetics, conveniently ignoring the troubled past?
This post was first published on Better Marketing on 20 October 2024, and reposted to my Substack Studio Hours.
