Have you ever thought of how people from the olden days thought about what the future is going to be like? Older generations of humans have always been excited about what the future held. From giant TVs, flying cars, talking watches, to TV-connected phones – these are just some of the imaginative ideas that people from the past thought we would have today. How do we know this though? Well, people from the past loved creating impressive artwork from their imaginations and this is known as retro-futuristic art. And, we have all these treasures of libraries upon libraries of images of the ‘future’ that people thought we will have.
Retro-Futuristic artwork is your best bet to finding out how people from the past thought about the future. These are not just bygone imaginations as retro-futuristic aesthetics are trendy in the design world right now. Produced from an earlier era, these kinds of artwork tell us not only what they wished the future would be but how different life was back in the day Science was not what it is now, and definitely, creative arts was a different ball game as well. It is fun to look back at the techniques artists create masterpieces back then. It is even more fun to recreate these techniques and incorporate them into ‘modern’ art forms.
Loving retro-futuristic designs
There are a variety of elements that make retro-futuristic art exciting for designers. It may be from the distinct and unique color palettes that truly give a retro vibe. The shapes and patterns older artists fondly used are surely unique to what is being used now. Minimalism was not really a trend back then and we could see how extravagantly created most artworks are. The amount of work they have input onto the tiniest details makes each artwork worth being inspired by. So what takeaways can we get from retrofuturistic art?
Arches, curves, and pastels
A lot of today’s designs focus on clean lines and corners, with lots of nude and neutral palettes. It is quite rare that we see lots of arches and curves. Pastels are also not quite used in palettes anymore. What is cuter than the vibe in this image, right? Also, look at Easter egg in the corner (tiny astronaut guy), ain’t he cute?
Neon colors with distinct patterns
Being in another dimensions is always portrayed in a lot of retro futuristic art. The design vibe is really unique and it is still relevant in today’s acceptable design trends.
The tiny details, really
Just look at the tiny details. Designers have to be inspired to create art like this again!
NASA’s Space
Everything futuristic always has something to do with space. If you like that aesthetic, just go to NASA’s page and be inspired there.
Watercolor and pen
In this image, the entire thing is designed with just water color lined with pen. Simplistic and truly retro. If you like putting retro in your designs, using this technique is a good way to go.
Cyberpunk
We have finally reached a point where we cannot live without technology and that our lives are controlled by it. This was a prediction from the future, but thankfully we don’t have machines controlling our bodies yet. There is always something so edgy about designing with cyberpunk in mind. Wires, monitors, metal – all this industrial gore is just timeless.
Space Obsession
Obsession with living in space is very evident in artwork from the past. May it be letting aliens live among us, or us living like aliens in our own world, or us traveling to outer space to live there – space obsession was a real deal back then. Why don’t we reintroduce that sense of wonder into our designs again?
Neon lights and aesthetics
Lava-lamp inspired lighting and aesthetics – this is a groovy and unique design inspiration. If you look at this image, a lot of the sub tones are in pink. But not just pink – hot, neon pink. It is a very bold move in design but it still turned out great.
Shiny steel and silver
All the obsession with cyborgs, humanoids, and robots has lead to the acceptance of using shiny metal (like stainless steel, and silver) in design.
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