From the title of our blog post it’s clear enough that today we will talk about retro style. The most striking fact about this design trend is that it is ever in vogue. Don’t you use it in your projects? We are sure that you do.

But wait; let’s have a nice chat before passing to the main goal of our entry.

What we actually mean when call something retro? Maybe the object that is consciously derivative or imitative of trends, modes, fashions, or attitudes of the recent past? The style generally implies a vintage of at least fifteen or twenty years. For instance, if you still have clothing bought in the 1980s or 1990s – you can safely call it retro.

Did you know that the word “retro” derives from the Latin prefix retro, meaning “backwards, or in past times”? Retro is most often used as an adjective and simply means “old fashioned” or old. However, we got used to impart “timeless” or “classic” meaning to the term. In truth, the word retro or vintage is used to describe many things: from special aesthetics that ranges from tail fins on Cadillacs to ranch houses and the entire world outlook with all its forms of social conservatism like home schooling or the embrace of traditional gender roles. Besides, “Retro” can also be applied to forms of technological obsolescence including manual typewriters, cash registers, bulky hand-held cellphones, to name just a few gadgets, as well as the resurrection of old computer games and the equipment on which they are played.

You might have noticed that most commonly “retro” is used to describe objects and attitudes from the recent past that no longer seem “modern.” It suggests a fundamental shift in the way we relate to the past. Different from more traditional forms of revivalism, “retro” suggests a half ironic, half longing consideration of the recent past. It has been called an “unsentimental nostalgia,” (unfortunately the author of this smart expression stayed unknown to us) recalling “modern” forms that are no longer current.

We don’t know what project you are working at right now, but if you want to insert a warm, sweet retro feel into it, we can suggest you to consider the usage of the following elements characteristic for the given style:

1. Circles and simple shapes (including the cut-out ones).
2. Ribbons.
3. Stamps.
4. Badges.
5. Patterns (floral, paper, canvas, dotted, diagonal lines, etc.) and textures.
6. Ruches (especially on navigation bars or content sections).
7. Stitches and dashed lines.
8. Washed out, warn (sepia) photos.
9. Limited soft color schemes.
10. Creative typography solutions.
11. Drop shadows.
12. Gradient fills.
13. Starburst effects.
14. Skeuomorphic details.
15. The usage of 3D elements.
16. Noise.
17. Hand-drawn elements and illustrations.
18. Applying of blending modes.
19. Light grunge effects.
20. Old-fashioned fonts.

As to the last point of this list, we hope that you’ll have the possibility to feast your eyes upon the elegant vintage fonts today as we featured the most refined of them below. If you like some of the fonts taking part in our improvised beautiful retro font parade, just click its name and the link will take you to the download page. It goes without saying that all fonts are free to use.

And one more thing: if you are one of those busy designers that like to simplify their lives with the help of pre-designed templates, you can find plenty of them here. Why should you invent the wheel if it has been already done before? Developers who appreciate their time and efforts use templates or elements worked out by others without a twinge of conscience if those are of the appropriate quality.

You know, there is one more pleasant novelty waiting for you today. We decided to change the boring format of blog posts containing the typefaces. In our article you will be able to read smart web design quotes written over the creative vintage photos with the help of the fonts we present. Some of them will make you smile, some will make you think, and we hope all of them will inspire you.

1. Quigley Wiggly Font

02. Octin Vintage Font

3. Parisienne Font

4. Diamond Dust Font

5. Playball Font

6. AdineKirnberg-Script Font

7. Doctor Jekyll NF Font

8. IM FELL French Canon Font Family

9. Nickelodeon NF Font

10. Airstream NF Font

11. Ironick NF Font

12. Dynalight Font

13. Odalisque NF Font

14. Our Gang NF Font

15. Riot Squad NF Font

16. Tanglewood Tales NF Font

17. Walrus Gumbo NF Font

18. Milton Burlesque NF Font

19. Radio Ranch NF Font

20. Alpha54 Font

Did you like our fonts and quotes? Which of them did you like the most? Will you use them in your projects? Do you like retro web design style in general? Do you often use it? What emotions do you render with its help? Maybe you want to add some points to our retro style design elements list? You are welcome to do everything listed above as well as show your best vintage style designs to the community. Please leave your comments and links in the comment section.