Morning all,

 

I've been browsing all of the major CSS galleries/showcases trying my hardest to obtain some inspiration for the side-project i'm working on (think Retrojunk).

 

But i'm struggling an awful lot to picture in my mind a retro look and feel which doesn't include Geocities banners and animated gifs!

 

Have you seen any modern/cool looking retro 80's/90's style sites pulled off well recently? I've seen a lot of oldy style tea-stained 50's and 60's designs, but nothing from the 80s and 90s. If you have, would you mind posting some links?

Sounds to me like you need to step away from the web to find your inspiration. Especially considering the web didn't exist for most of the period you're referencing. Watch some Adam Ant/ Madonna videos, or look at the grunge scene. Raygun magazine will probably be very useful too, if you can get any back copies.

Maybe try to focus on the feel instead of the look - although of course one will lead to the other.

 

Good luck

try doing a styles board, use google image search and get some images from the era's you are interested in, put them all together on one canvas and get your styling cues from that.

 

The problem with looking at similar target sites is inevitably your head will fill up with ideas already done and it will be hard to adapt to fresh ideas. With style boards you have more chance of doing something original.

 

Just my opinion of course, hope it helps

Thanks for the advice, guys.

 

I agree that maybe the web isn't the best place to look for such inspiration, I just thought that perhaps someone else had given the idea of an 80's/90's design a go before - evidentally not from what I've seen so far!

 

I've given it a bash (here) as a basic starting point. What I could do, is try and track down some old copies of magazines like Smash Hits (the old pop music magazines) and see how they laid out their content "back in the day". I'm not too familiar with Raygun, but i'll see what I can dig up.

 

Thanks again!

Maby you can use the internet.

 

Take a look at the internet of what kind of stuff people had in the 80's or 90'r.

Specially around which time was this and that a hype.

 

Use that for inspiration.

Retro is cool, think multi colours polka dots and rainbow stripes. Think digital synths, think the birth of Japanese toy robots. Think emmmm what it was like for you in the 80s and nineties. DIfferent for everyone, retro is a loose fit word imo and can have different vibes for everyone. Although one thing i think runs through the theme in all interpretations is digital.

i did a tutorial a while back on how to design retro design. Maybe it might help a little.

 

Here

 

Its not of a website but it might give a little inspiration!

Nice end product. +1

Cheers

Try to dig here, Mark.

 

Good job, Robert!

I had completely forgotten about this thread!

 

Thanks for the link Lev. Rob, good work there, man!

Take a look at the internet of what kind of stuff people had in the 80's or 90'r. Especially around which time was this and that a hype.