Retro Style Part 2
2nd edition — by Patrick McNeil — Feb. 8, 2006
The Design Element
I am pleased to publish another set of retro styled sites! I am completely fascinated and in love with all things retro. This style of site is not universal, and many usages of it are quite obvious. On the other hand, if you look through many of the links below you will find the usage of retro styled elements to be rather subtle. Many of them simply fit this category because of
font usage,
color choice
, or the imagery
. Regardless of how you incorporate this design element always keep in mind how it works in conjunction with your brand. Even if your site is personal it has a brand, and if you have any interest in running a successful site you will view it as a business no matter what the purpose.
This is a bit of a tangent, but using a theme on a site where it doesn't fit is a kin to looking like a serial killer and applying for a job at a day care center. There is no reason in the world you should mix your signals, especially not in a medium where you can so easily be ignored. As I have said many times before, consider your sites purpose, message, and core reason for existence. Does the retro style reinforce that, or distract from it. If your not sure, then perhaps this isn't the element to use.
Sample Usage
Links
Retro Color Palettes
1950s
Retro Color Palette
1960s Retro Color Palette
1950s Lamp Shades (Good color source)
Free Retro & Vintage Images
Retro
Illustration Blog (great inspiration)
World War II Poster Collection
Authentic History Center
The
Library of Congress: American Memory
Smithsonian
Institution Libraries
Library
of Congress Digital Collections & Programs
The National Archives
Duke
University: Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library
The
National Archives of the UK
NYPL
Digital Gallery
1800's Ephemera
Free Retro Fonts
dafont.com
Font Diner (Awesome
fonts — Some free)
History of Type
Typeface Classification Timeline
American Sign Museum
