There is no disputing that the 80s Graphic Design Trends were a striking decade, with its bright hues, wild patterns, stretchy pants, and ruffled wigs. The 1980s, a decade mainly characterized by technology, saw the emergence of a far more edgy, headstrong type of design than we had previously seen. These trends included neon colors, modern typefaces, jagged layouts, geometric forms, and an outburst of hip-hop culture.
You’re a genuine 80s child at heart if you miss the times when everyone wore Jordans, MTV got to play songs, Charming Prince has been on fixed schedule entertainment, and monster dolls were displayed on the bonnet of every big vehicle.
After 30 years, the fantastic 80s look is still prevalent, appearing on everything from TV episodes to movie and music posters.
But, honestly, the 1980s were a thrilling era for graphic designers, with vivid color, wacky textures, and geometric modernist design ideas that continue to inspire countless designers nowadays.
Do you want to know which graphic design styles from the 1980s have changed over the decades? Below are some of the hottest trends returning from the 1980s to get you in the mood.
Let us find out How to Get Inspired by 80s Graphic Design Trends in the Easiest Way without a delay.
Let’s Explore Graphic Design Trends from the 80s
1. Neon & Cyberpunk
Who’d already imagined that a particular molecule component would eventually come to stand for a whole decade? Neon, one of the most recognizable designs of the 1980s, was utilized on everything from video game covers to record covers to movie posters. It will restart in 2023. The neon trend has been utilized this year by well-known companies.
The year has seen a significant resurgence of the 1980s cyberpunk movement. Cyberpunk, which dates back to the 1960s, gained notoriety in the 1980s because of the film Blade Runner. In reality, cyberpunk is making a strong comeback and has inspired a number of movies, comic novels, games, and designs that highlight future high-tech, lawless societies, and large businesses.
2. Pop Culture with 80’s Digital Style Sci-Fi genre
There is no doubt that 80s design trends were greatly influenced by pop culture, which includes movies, music, video games, and television.
Gradients, bold text effects, and cosmic 80s typefaces were used in design to reference the decade’s numerous sci-fi blockbusters, including Real Genius, Thomas Dolby’s music videos, Back to the Future, E.T., and Blade Runner.
Grids, sci-fi themes, and computer-generated graphic typefaces have taken over the world of visual design.
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3. 80’s Retro Deco
Although art deco was first used in the 1950s, it truly gained popularity in the 1980s when several other design styles were combined to inspire creativity in the artwork.
As firms from all sectors began to employ the deco in their marketing materials, this method in particular was quite popular. Deco immediately began to get noticed in the design community because the way it was used in designs was so distinct from preceding methods.
There was the new art deco, which was a visual arts style that combined modernist elements with elegant design. This variant from the 1980s has a simple design with a nice flair to it.
The 80s deco style in graphic design is defined by clean, sans-serif typefaces, prominent lines, and shapes. The typography was frequently enhanced with drop shadows and outside glows.
On the other hand, it meant adorning rooms with furniture covered in black glossy and porcelain vases with arched tops. The original Miami Vice logo design shown below has an 80s deco vibe to it.
4. 80"s Tropical Style
The 1980s were unquestionably the decade in which the tropical design trend was at its most powerful artistically. From t-shirt prints to artwork and movie posters, palm trees and bright pastels were all over.
The desire for creativity to defy the laws is embodied by vivid, neon-like, spectacular hues. To the fullest extent and in an unwaveringly positive manner, designers aspired to convey oneself!
In reality, using the 1980s look today may result in highly beautiful pieces of art that need no specific expertise. Continue following the creative principles from the 1980s. Even so, they’re all intertwined in some manner, from sunsets and beach trees to neon gloom and the way geometry accompanies its patterns in Memphis-Milano.
Since then, many artworks, textiles, movie posters, and stationery items have all successfully incorporated the tropical aesthetic of the 1980s.
4. Memphis Milano Design
This design, which was inspired by the Memphis Group, also swept the market in the 1980s. The eye-catching color and form combination set it apart from the other styles on the market. It appeared a little strange due to the motifs incorporated in its overall design. Because of the unusual texture and color combination utilized to draw graphics, many designers referred to it as a new development in the business. That is one of the main reasons why it received widespread acclaim and widespread acceptance in the business in only a few decades.
Asymmetry, strong graphic forms, and primary colors are elements of art deco design and pop art that may be seen in the interior decoration and graphic prints provided by this trend. The Memphis Group’s projects may still be featured in museum exhibits and designer shops today.
It should be mentioned that this design originated in Italy, which is widely regarded as the actual wellspring of 80s graphic design. The Memphis Group sprung from the same origins, thus this artwork was titled in their honor as an appropriate homage.
Designers continue heavily draw influence from Milano’s design today as they attempt to incorporate this artwork into all kinds of graphical representations. In order to face the problems of the present world, it has also been somewhat modernized. Now, everyone may utilize it in their job in accordance with the guidelines provided.
The Digital Revolution of 80s Design Trends
In the 80s, graphic design trends were at the forefront of the digital revolution, with the advent of corporate and home computers. Therefore, there was a technological surge in the creation of graphics software. This revolutionary innovation has a significant influence on graphic design. The industry has altered completely throughout this decade.
During this period, memorable advertising campaigns such as Wendy’s “Where’s the beef?” and Nike’s “Just do it” and “What would you do for a Klondike bar?” were born. Urban culture grew in popularity as well.
Because of this, graphic design in the 1980s was cutting-edge and stylish. Designers have their own individual flair. They employed various geometric patterns, complementary color schemes, and technology to give their design a “futuristic” sense, as people in the 1980s were interested in the future and wanted to portray what was to come.
Furthermore, with the advent of design tools, graphic designers have the ability to generate 3D pictures and readily modify layout, color, and shape. Graphic designers have more freedom to develop and test new ideas. This prompted artists to abandon earlier contemporary typefaces. They designed and blended font families, weights, and sizes to get a confused, haphazard look. The Deconstructive Typology movement, which is distinguished by nonlinear type and spatial arrangement, later emerged as a result of this new generation strategy.
That's a Wrap
That’s all there is to it, guys. That brings us to the end of this post, in which we covered many styles of 80s graphic design in depth. It is certain that people still adore these vintage styles. Apart from their enticing look, they are also connected to them due to an intuitive connection. That is why we continue to see similar motifs being employed in many sorts of artwork to this day. It reflects their significance, as evidenced by how popular they remain in the market after 3 decades.
Its design approach from the 1980s had such an impact that it still inspires creatives nowadays. We hope you liked our trip back in time to discover the most memorable retro fashions that will make a reappearance in 2023.
Let us know what you think and how much inspiration you got from these 80s design styles.
