10 Tips to Create a Good Vintage Logo Design

Created by Amit Botre | https://dribbble.com/shots/13898545-Seman-Sully-s-Spirits

Create a Good Vintage Logo Design - Vintage design elements are popping up everywhere: social media, branding, and website design. If you're a graphic designer and haven't kept up with the trend, maybe it's time.

But don't worry, vintage graphic design isn't just a short-lived fad; They are long-term trends rooted in nostalgia (more on this later). In this article, we'll talk about what vintage is, why, how to create a vintage logo, and platforms to use it, and show you some great examples of vintage logos for inspiration.

Created by Jordan Wilson | https://dribbble.com/shots/18202157-Beeliner-Weisse

When you create your own vintage design, don't be afraid to be creative, you want to stay different and unique by sticking to some vintage logo design principles. Sure, you might love the look of the old logos, and it's all pissed off now, but why should you?

Following contemporary design trends is an essential component of good design work. The best graphic designers can keep track of trends and stay current while maintaining their unique and different looks. The popularity of vintage designs is not just a random trend. This is a design strategy that plays on audience sentiment.

Nostalgia in design is a powerful tool. The Covid-19 pandemic has increased the popularity of this already popular trend. With standards so severely disrupted, many crave a dose of intimacy.

Created by Jeremy Vessey | https://dribbble.com/shots/9874287-The-Heritage-Brand-Collection

A vintage logo can play a role in the desire to return to normal. By responding to your audience's desire for familiarity, you can create a sense of comfort and admiration in your audience for your company or product. Of course, you don't want your design to look like someone else's, but you do want to make sure your work is current and on-trend.

You can keep up with current design trends while maintaining your own unique and distinct style. In fact, we recommend it. There are many ways you can use an old logo once you have created it. You can use retro logo designs on your business cards, label designs on products, on your website, and more. There are many different ways to use a logo and many different logo styles to consider creating. Now that you have an idea of ​​the many design techniques used to give a classic feel let's start to create a good vintage logo design! Here's how to get started:

10 Tips to Create a Good Vintage Logo Design

1. Think About Your Audience, Customers, Buyers
2. Implement The Brand Story
3. Think About Your Design Style
4. Explore Custom Vintage Fonts
5. Choose A Vintage Color Representation.
6. Use A Powerful Symbolism
7. Keep The Concept Simple
8. Construct And Layout Your Logo Wisely
9. Being Vintage Is Timeless
10. Test Your Logo On Various Medium

Created by Srdjan Vidakovic | https://dribbble.com/shots/18263509-Knight-Without-a-Lord

1. Think About Your Audience, Customers, Buyers

We've talked a bit about common industries that tend to use old-fashioned logos, so you should really start to get an idea of ​​whether or not they're a good fit for your brand in general. However, one of the most important parts of logo creation is by understanding the audience you want to attract.

This is because your logo should resonate with the values ​​and desires of your audience. For example, if your target audience is all the latest gadgets that are born with modern technology, they may not like the vintage logo. However, if things like loyalty and traditionalism are important to your audience, it's easy to connect with them through timeless design. Find out who your audience is, from their age group to their needs and pain points. This will come in handy when you start choosing the classic design elements for your logo.

Created by Ian Barnard | https://dribbble.com/shots/18508119-Mural-Logo

2. Implement The Brand Story

Once you know who your logo is trying to communicate with, it is important to understand how you will reach them. A great logo is one that successfully conveys the story of the brand it represents, and vintage logos are no exception. In fact, it's all about storytelling - from remembering scenes like Walden Pond to cultivating a sense of exploration through cowboys and pioneers.

So, before you start creating the overall look and feel of your logo, you should think about the story your logo is supposed to tell. What aspects of the past would you like to pay attention to? Perhaps you want to gain an adventurous spirit or develop a sense of nostalgia in your audience.

Try to write your brand story in just one or two sentences. Have you served the best coffee in the neighborhood since 1981? Are you using a family pizza recipe that goes back to basics? This story will come out of your logo when you've finished designing it!

Created by Consume Design | https://dribbble.com/shots/16800690-Vibe-Glass-Branding

3. Think About Your Design Style

The concept of the badge lies at the heart of the vintage logo design. The goal of the badge is a simple shape that looks good, and you can still stick it on anything anywhere. You'll find a lot of shields, hexagons, and diamonds, but the most common shape is the circle.

Hand Drawn
The vintage hipster movement loves everything handmade. Logos with a hand-drawn or minimalist look would work well here, and you'd be impressed with the artistic flair in this particular category.

Industrial Design
If we go back to 20th-century design, you'll find that the logo is able to convey a bold visual statement, but there are no shadows or gradients, not even a 3D rendering, in sight.

Nautical Design
Vintage logo designs often come with animals with horns. Regardless of whether it is moose, moose, or moose - if it has horns, then it can be used here. It works well with the outdoor trends seen in this type of logo, and you'll also find it growing in popularity with nautical themes.

Coffee and Alcoholic Drinks
Some things never change, and one of them is man's love for coffee and beer. These two liquids are excellent subjects of ancient art, in large part due to their common affinity with our ancestors.

Line Arts
Today, flat designs are prevalent, often using old logos for simplified illustrations and thin lines.

Created by cmpt_rules | https://dribbble.com/shots/16998488-Gas-Stop-General-Exploration

4. Explore Custom Vintage Fonts

Now let's move on to the fun part of creating a good vintage logo design: taking your brand story and designing it to come true. Typography is a big part of old logo design, with different styles carrying different meanings and multiple connections to the past. What's cool about Vintage vs. Modern logos are often "incomplete" lettering, in large part because they are hand-drawn or printed from an unrefined press.

As a result, the asymmetric fonts and hand-drawn text are all equal on the course, unlike the block typeface we saw in some of the logos above. Before you choose your logo printing style, think about the specific time period you want to evoke. Then start searching on Google! Find vintage banners, old photos, black and white movies - anything that helps you get inspired and visualize what print was used in the time period you want. For example, in the early twentieth century, old letters and stencils were used. The seventies using bubble letters.

Once you know your options, rethink the attributes that connect your audience to your product or service. Hand-drawn fonts are a great way to add an extra element of personalization, while large serif letters look more traditional and flattering. Explore different typography styles before you decide on a font.

Created by Nick Stewart | https://dribbble.com/shots/14964727-Outlier-Goods-Co

5. Choose A Vintage Color Representation.

We usually tell people not to use more than two or three colors in their logo, as this can confuse the message your brand is trying to send. However, when it comes to vintage logos, you often see color combinations that are a bit more extreme than modern designs (on both ends of the spectrum).

For example, you'll find bright psychedelic color combinations that are too whimsical for most brands today (the '60s chime, anyone?), as well as muted tones that echo the colors captured on film cameras once again in a day. The common denominator among most of the old logo color palettes is the application of some form of contrast to highlight aspects of the design. For example, you can use light yellow and blue with brighter accent colors or combine bright red with yellow, pink, and dark blue. You can also experiment with earth tones for a classic, calmer look, which is a great choice for logos that include highly detailed icons.

Created by Ilham Herry | https://dribbble.com/shots/17431673-Logo-Collection

6. Use A Powerful Symbolism

Finally, icons can do a lot of work for vintage designs. Unlike the flat, simple logo icons that are becoming increasingly popular over time, older logos use icons that are rich in detail. You'll often see photos of wildlife, explorers on a trek, or other depicted landscapes, as well as vintage objects that most directly represent what businesses offer their customers.

So, again, you should think about the feeling you want to convey with your logo before you decide on an icon. Bar owners who want their logo to highlight exclusivity can use images that remind us of the ease of speech in the Prohibition era; Barbers looking to capture the atmosphere of a 19th-century hair salon might use a handlebar mustache. 

Study symbols that directly relate to your business offer, run your business name or convey the kind of message that elicits an emotional response. Just note that scaling may be an issue if your design is too detailed, as it will be difficult to print on small objects while they are still visible. If icons don't suit you, you can also consider including a frame around your logo, as we saw above, to give it a different look.

Created by Jason K Yun | https://dribbble.com/shots/17071180-Griffin-Gang

7. Keep The Concept Simple & Strong

Creating a vintage logo is a lot of fun, but copying an old design can be tempting to overdo it. Yes, you need a professional branding logo design, and it should be distinctive, but don't let that be an excuse to over-design your screen. Here are some common pitfalls to avoid on your way to the code:

When you're repeating the look of a previous era, it often includes some type of texture. After all, in the pre-digital age, wear and tear, misprint, ink smears, and other touches were everyday occurrences. Now, that added texture and noise detail is a design touch. Unfortunately, it can also affect readability or lean a lot back in time. The great thing about retro design in our time is that you can choose not to include these elements, keeping the design grounded in the present while echoing the past.

Again, clarity is key here. One of the temptations when creating a retro logo design is to give your logo a lot of flair and graphics. It's exciting and fun to work with these vintage designs, but always keep an eye out for the chaos. This was especially true with early 20th-century designs, which were naturally more cluttered thanks to the typography and design of the time (take these Union posters, for example).

Created by Dusan Sol | https://dribbble.com/shots/17879667-Domeniile-Dumbrava-Logo

8. Construct And Layout Your Logo Wisely

The way you style your design can play a big role or underestimate the classic feel. Part of making a design look antique is making it look like it was made with design styles that fit the times. When you're designing something that looks like it belongs in the Victorian era, you're not using 3D graphics and high-resolution images; You'll use patterns, sepia tones, and fine details.

Carefully combine different design elements - illustrations, typography, colors, and layouts - to achieve the look you want. If you are going to combine design elements and construction methods, do so carefully and directly. Steampunk is full of purposeful contrast, as are its derivatives like dieselpunk and cyberpunk. Dive into this rabbit hole to properly see the juxtaposition of old and modern.

Created by Amit Botre | https://dribbble.com/shots/10734978-Mama-Americana

Then, you need to find the right balance between old and new to create a good vintage logo design. Play with your vintage designs. You can keep it subtle by using a few vintage-inspired elements in a fairly modern design in general, or you can go back entirely and make your design look as if it was created 20, 50, or 100 years ago. The most important part is that the logo represents the business to its target audience. You want your audience to relate to the logo itself.

Don't lose sight of essential modern design considerations, such as responsive design and web-safe fonts, when creating vintage-inspired designs. Your design still needs to work with the modern consumer, and that means making it work with their device.

Created by Jorgen Grotdal | https://dribbble.com/shots/17225550-Saint-Luke-Clothing-Co

9. Being Vintage Is Timeless

Eternal vintage. That's why people loved it for so long. This trend has no end. When you find yourself in a supermarket, you may pay attention to gourmet foods and alcoholic beverage products. This vintage mark carries the history of the product and makes it unforgettable.

Aside from evoking nostalgia, it works because it's an easy way to ensure your designs won't look outdated. It may seem strange at first because you might think that choosing a design that looks outdated is the quickest way to find an outdated design to create a good vintage logo design. But because you made a deliberate choice to make your design look old, next year and five years later, it will look as old as this year — which, in a way, makes it look new.

Remember that wine is not suitable for all brands. If you are not sure if it works for you, ask yourself some questions like:

• Who is your primary audience?
• What are the potential disadvantages of using the old design?
• What do you want to connect with your old design ideas?
• What do your competitors do with their designs? Why did they make this choice?

Created by Morgan Carter | https://dribbble.com/shots/17994669-Huntsville-Alabama-Badges

10. Test Your Logo On Various Medium

Of course, designing a logo concept is only the first step in the process of designing your logo. Now you need to see if it fits your brand, your business, and your core principles. The best way to do this is to test your concept design using focus groups. No need to find volunteers for this work; just use your social media channels.

Show your logo concept to fans and customers. Show it to your team. Ask for their feedback. There are also plenty of design-related groups and communities on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Behance that you can use to get professional feedback as well.

Created by SAMPLE | https://dribbble.com/shots/17022344-Lang-Beer-Co-Badges

Final Words

Logo design may seem confusing at first, but once you understand the basic theoretical concepts and apply them enough time, it quickly becomes interesting. Most importantly, don't be afraid to experiment and stay interested in new lines, shapes, and combinations that you can use.

A good logo is recognizable and distinguishable from your brand. It is unique and, at the same time, matches the colors and elements that make up your brand identity. The best logos resonate and stick in the minds of customers and become the defining element of your marketing materials. Everything is great antique - and most great things end up being antique. Fortunately, vintage logo designs are yours, as long as you want your brand to stand out from your competition to create a good vintage logo design.

And vintage designs can be so much fun! It's a refreshing contrast to our digital, simple, and modern world. Your brand tends to have strong, memorable logos. Going through this process of creating a simple image may seem like a lot of work, but since the design will be relevant to your brand in the long run, it's worth it.