Thanks to Sallie K who looked up the definition in Wikipedia and put this in the forum:
“Retro” can be used to simply mean “old fashioned” or old, functioning much like “timeless” or “classic”. It has also been associated with modernism in the immediate post-war years, encompassing an aesthetic that ranges from tailfins on Cadillacs to ranch houses. Sometimes, it can also suggest an entire outlook on life, for example, social conservatism, home schooling or the embrace of traditional gender roles. “Retro” can also be applied to forms of technological obsolescence, for example, manual typewriters, cash registers, bulky hand-held cell phones, or the resurrection of old computer games. But most commonly, “retro” is used to describe objects and attitudes from the recent past that no longer seem “modern.” It suggests a fundamental shift in the way we relate to the past. Different from more traditional forms of revivalism, “retro” suggests a half ironic, half longing consideration of the recent past. It has been called an “unsentimental nostalgia,” recalling “modern” forms that are no longer current. "Retro" sometimes also refers to the fifties era.
Today it is often used in a positive sense, referring to quirky or attractive products that are no longer available. For example, "Retro fashion" or "Retro Chic" may consist of outdated styles, such as tie-dyed shirts from the 1960s, or poodle skirts from the 1950s. A love of retro objects (things from the past) is called retro-philia.
Retro often reflects a sensibility aligned with camp. Camp is an ironic attitude, an explicit re-introduction of non-dominant forms.”
We can roughly divide design and style by decades: 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, and so on. Those of us who lived through some of those early decades immediately picture elements of those years. You can convey that feel with your choices of color, font, and design elements.
I am giving a variety of font sites but most of them have all of the decades. I just KNOW you will wander around each site…most are free, but those that aren’t will give you an idea of style.
If fonts are threatening to take over your computer I urge you to get the FREE program, The Font Thing. http://www.download.com/The-Font-Thi...-10038296.html
(If enough people request it I can do a tutorial on using that program in a Chatique soon.)
When you are checking out the fonts for a particular retro decade, don't forget to look at the "Wingdings" or fonts with designs or little drawings in place of the letters. I have a "florals1" and "florals2" I use a lot ( http://www.flyerstarter.com/free-fonts/f/Florals1.html ), and a "Darrian's Frames" ( http://www.fontspace.com/darrian-lynx/darrians-frames ) that also sees a lot of use. I also use some wingdings at huge resolution to make coloring pages for my granddaughters.
http://www.fontscape.com/explore?7CM has the fonts arranged from Medieval to the computer age, Pop-Art; Op Art.
1910s – World War I, the introduction of the automobile. The Gibson Girl was the ideal, with her long hair done up, high necked blouses with hug sleeves, tiny waist, dress to the floor, high shoes…showing ankle only if being a bit naughty. The colors are muted. I think that is due to all photos we have of that period are black and white or sepia. Fonts to use are the more formal, “Spenserian” fancy like the font, Beautiful. Check these fonts for ideas. http://www.letterheadfonts.com/fonts/billhead.shtml Expensive, but a good overview of the feel of the era.
1920s – Typefaces characteristic of the Art Deco period of the 1920s. Reminiscent of the Jazz Age or Roaring Twenties, the era of Prohibition, flappers, the Charleston, bakelite, and penicillin.
http://www.fontscape.com/explore?7SW
http://www.fontage.com/artdeco.html
http://www.free-fonts.com/font/1920.html
1930s – Type designs typical of the 1930s, the age of the Great Depression, Swing music, Walt Disney cartoons, and frozen foods. The flamboyant American period influenced by the glamour of Hollywood.
http://www.fontage.com/broadway.html
http://www.myfonts.com/browse/keyword/1930s/
1940s - The patriotism and sacrifice of the war years! Red, white, and blue work well.
http://www.fontstock.net/search/0/1940's%20Christmas.html
1950s – MUSIC, teens as a separate group, full skirts, Pink and Charcoal Black, the Atomic symbol and other curved figures, chrome, formica. Type designs typical of the beat culture and jazz era of the later fifties. The atomic age of the 1950s.
http://www.andynortnik.com/free-retro-fonts.htm
http://www.andynortnik.com/clipart_1.htm
http://www.fontscape.com/explore?7EG
1960s – Typefaces reminiscent of the swinging 1960s, the psychedelic era of hippies, bellbottoms, lava lamps, pop music, the Beatles, and free love. Colors I remember are Avacado green and burnt orange. Also, the combination of tourquoise, brown and yellow. Tie-dye, psychedelic flowers and beads. Must not forget the beatnik in the late 60s with the long straight hair, heavy eye makeup, white lips, and ever-present beret hat. Loden-green and black were staple clothing colors then.
http://www.fontscape.com/explore?6MJ
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