Nostalgia is The New Black: 5 Keys to Retro Branding in 2025 That Your Audience Will 🧡

Nostalgia. She’s powerful. There’s something about looking at a retro brand that makes you feel good, right? When you get a peek at a retro brand, something clicks, and you step away not just appreciating the way the brand looked but loving the way the brand felt. 

Nostalgia is a powerful thing in the branding world because it taps into our deep, emotional connections. And that’s stuff that we (as people and as consumers) care about – even if we don’t know it on a conscious level. 

The magic of retro-branding is that it transports our brains (and our hearts) to a simpler time – something that makes us feel good. In a way, nostalgia and retro brands give us a little subconscious trip down memory lane toward the things that feel good. 

Retro design elements—whether it’s a specific font, a vintage color palette, or a reference to decades-long past—trigger those kinds of cherished memories or our ideals about what the time was like. 

And then? We feel warm, comforted, and happy. In other words, we have positive feelings linked to that brand. 

In today’s chaotic world where uncertainty feels pretty ever-present, nostalgia-driven branding gives people something special – a sense of stability, belonging, and feel-good feelings we’re all craving. 

This realization ties into the growing movement of "comfort brands" – businesses that use nostalgic cues (like branding and marketing!) to give people a good dose of those warm fuzzies. 

Beyond visuals, storytelling plays a crucial role in crafting a brand that truly feels retro. From referencing old-school slang to mimicking the advertising styles of the '70s and '80s, messaging helps bring a nostalgic brand to life, making it feel both authentic and lived-in.

The visual elements of brands are seeing a rise in this curve toward nostalgia and retro, too. Tons of designers (our agency included) love to favor a retro or modern-retro style because of the way it looks, feels, and functions.  

Are you chasing retro branding for your own business – or, if you’re a designer, for your client’s brand? You’re in the right place. Here are the five things you need to know to truly capture a retro brand in 2025. 

The 5 Keys to Retro Branding in 2025 

Understand the Magic (& Science) of Bringing the Past to Life 

Tapping into the magic of a retro brand starts with understanding why it’s magic in the first place. Take a peek at retro-inspired brands (like Wolfe Club Coffee Roasters, for example). You get a flash of those warm-fuzzies just looking at their retro branding, right? That’s because their look is hinting at that nostalgia we talked about.

But it’s not just about the look of something – it’s about how you talk about your brand, too. If you want to bring a little retro into your branding, try taking a peek at your language. Era-specific slang can go a long way in helping you take your audiences’ brains back into that retro place.

Want to make it your own? Try blending that retro messaging with your own modern language for a hint of nostalgia with a fresh take!
Get your brain totally wrapped around the concept of why we love retro first, then dive in with your own brand. 

NOSTALGIC TYPOGRAPHY IS THE BACKBONE

Now, let’s get into the good stuff: typography. 

Typography is one of the most powerful tools in creating a nostalgic brand. One right curve of a serif font can instantly set the tone and transport your audiences to channel the vibe of a specific era. 

From chunky serifs that scream ‘70s magazine covers to groovy scripts reminiscent of retro diner signs, the right font choice can make all the difference in how someone feels about your brand’s vibe. 

But the magic really happens when nostalgic typography is balanced with modern elements—pairing a bold vintage display font with a clean, contemporary sans-serif can keep your brand feeling fresh while still evoking the past.

Can’t find the perfect-fit vintage or retro font out there for your brand (or your client’s)? Creating your own is a must. 

Not sure how to create (& sell) your own retro fonts? Check out my self-guided course, Fontrepreneur, to get the headstart you need! 

CAPTURING THE AESTHETIC

Bringing a vintage aesthetic to life is all about the details—those little touches that instantly transport people to another era. 

When it comes to using images for your brand, consider adding props like typewriters, rotary phones, or even vintage lanterns. They don’t just add to the visual appeal; they help tell a story – and that’s a huge piece of using nostalgia in your brand because storytelling makes retro feel tangible. 

Of course, photography plays a huge role in how your brand feels, too. When you add film-like grain, warmer tones, and flash-heavy aesthetics to your brand’s images, you can make modern images feel straight out of the past. It evokes the charm of old-school photography and connects your people to how that time made them feel. 

Lightroom presets could be a game-changing shortcut for your brand, making it easier to achieve that dreamy, timeworn look with just a click.

CHOOSE ERA-DEFINING HUES

Color is basically a time machine for branding. Think about it: how we perceive a color theme helps us instantly set the vibe. What you choose can immediately take people straight back to a specific era. 

The ’70s? All about those earthy avocado greens and burnt oranges. The ’80s? Neon pastels and bold contrasts. The ’90s? Moody jewel tones and deep, cozy shades. 

Picking the right nostalgic color palette is all about balancing those throwback hues with a modern touch, so it feels vintage but not outdated (the ultimate balance). 

BRING IT INTO THE MODERN WORLD 

It’s decided – bringing nostalgia into your brand is a vibe. But we can’t just look to the past and mimic what worked then to make it work now. Retro nostalgia is a great choice for a brand’s look – but it’s gotta work in today’s world too. 

A brand that feels like a total blast from the past is fun until the website feels like it’s actually stuck in pre-dial-up days. The trick? Mixing those retro aesthetics with modern functionality. 

Think about finding the balance of functionality and nostalgia with elements like: 

• Vintage-inspired fonts – but crisp, easy-to-read layouts 

• Classic color palettes – but with sleek, high-res graphics 

• Retro illustrations – but with clean, minimalist compositions

• Old-school textures (grain, film noise, paper effects) – but applied subtly for a polished look

• Hand-drawn elements – but digitized for scalability and crispness

• Mid-century-inspired logos – but adaptable for social media and mobile screens

• Throwback packaging designs – but with sustainable, high-quality materials

• Vintage-inspired animations (stop-motion, flickering neon effects) – but optimized for fast loading times 

Nostalgic touches should spark memories but never make things clunky or outdated. 

Whether it’s social media, a website, or packaging, the goal is to give people that throwback feel while keeping everything fresh, accessible, and easy to use.

NEED A HAND WITH YOUR NOSTALGIC BRAND?

Retro branding is truly about creating a brand that feels like it’s been part of someone’s story all along. It’s a lived-in feel, a piece of history unfolding in front of you. 

The secret to doing this well is blending elements of nostalgia with modern design so it’s not just a throwback, it’s timeless. 

Whether you’re dreaming up a brand that feels like a 70s flashback or want to channel some 80s inspo, we can help you bring that vision to life in a way that still works today. Wanna brainstorm some ideas? Let’s chat – get in touch to start talking about your nostalgic brand.