Graphic Design Trend: 90's Retro Futurism Icons

To understand 90’s Retro Futurism, you must understand that creative plagiarism has made a huge impact on today’s Graphic Design and Social Media trends. There is no longer an original thought, so what’s left is a mash up of others’ ideas to create a new one. So what is Retro Futurism as a concept? Think of the 90’s aesthetic but with a futuristic/psychedelic twist, drawing inspiration from lots of different areas. An article from The Vou, written by Mandy Meyer, laid out a perfect guide of Retro Futurism in regards to fashion, design, and contemporary art. Meyer writes

“Proper Retro Futurism is the future as seen from the past.”

The article highlights the confusion between Retro Futurism and Futuristic Retro. Futuristic Retro is the past seen from the future (Meyer, 2022). This aesthetic makes futuristic technologies appeal to the old style, in this case the 90’s. Retro Futurism is the projection of the future from the past.

90's Neon Guitar Icon

When I created my own 90’s Retro Futurism icon, I first did research on what would be the perfect object to recreate that best represented the 90’s aesthetic. I chose an electric guitar for this project, taking it to photoshop for reconstruction. To keep the ‘icon’ look, I kept the design very simple, offering a few details here and there but keeping the palette very basic. The palette plays into the 90’s retro aspect of the icon as well as the neon lines. To go with the futurism look, I added a gradient and a grid in the background. I wanted the guitar to have a “glitched out” look to also add to the futurism.

When researching references to 90’s Retro Futurism icons, I couldn’t find many like the one I created. I found many Retro Futurism icons but none with the 90’s theme. There were plenty of 90’s icons as well, but none not many that merge the two together. This is truly a new trend as of 2022. All of the research on 90’s Retro Futurism point to fashion and magazine covers, not fun graphic icons. I strongly urge you to try this out for yourself, try something fun, aesthetic, and easy. Add to the new trend of 2022 with me!

The Vou Article Source: https://thevou.com/fashion/retro-futurism/