30 Best Retro Logo Design Ideas You Should Check
Check out some of the best retro logo design ideas to inspire your creative projects!
Created by Mama Americana | https://dribbble.com/shots/10734978-Mama-Americana
The retro design style is characterized by its use of vintage typography, muted color palettes, and decorative elements like badges, crests, and emblems. Retro logos often evoke a sense of nostalgia and vintage charm and are designed to appeal to those who appreciate the aesthetics of past eras.
In recent years, retro logos have gained popularity among businesses looking to differentiate themselves from more modern and minimalist design trends. Retro logos are often used by businesses in industries like fashion, food and beverage, and music, where a vintage aesthetic can help create a sense of authenticity and heritage.
Retro logos have also become popular among startups and small businesses. Many of these businesses use retro logos to create a sense of authenticity and heritage and to differentiate themselves from competitors who use more modern and minimalist design styles.
Here are some of the best retro logo design ideas you can reference:
1. Nelson Nokela
Created by Nelson Nokela | https://dribbble.com/shots/15045690-Flash-Folio-2020-9
Nelson Nokela created a branding for a specific city in retro style. It includes some famous tourist places to visit and sweet things to taste. He made them look like postage stamps on a single background with the typography "Welcome to Our Town" above all. He uses a mix of colors like teal, orange, black, pink, pastel, and white in the branding.
2. Tony's Coffee 50th Anniversary
Created by Cameron Jennings | https://dribbble.com/shots/15029435-Tony-s-Coffee-50th-Anniversary-Logo
Tony's Coffee wanted a playful mark as it draws back to its founding era in the 1970s. Cameron Jennings makes it by playing with earthy tones. He created several logo marks in similar designs but different colors. They all contain typography of Tony's Coffee 50th anniversary. The logo marks are available in white, blue, light brown, dark brown, light yellow, dark yellow, and orange.
3. Frozen Custard
Created by Nebojsa Matkovic | https://dribbble.com/shots/20426970-Frozen-Custard-logo
Another idea for retro logo design comes from Frozen Custard. It is a rebranding project for a bar providing ice cream, frozen custard, and soda. Although the designer only uses white and red, you can see the retro style in the logo, especially from the Goodies typography with its bling-bling effect. Another typography related to the product and a smiling ice cream character is underneath.
4. True Spark
Created by Konstantin Reshetnikov | https://dribbble.com/shots/15178033-True-Spark
True Spark is a metal workshop with a retro style on its logo. The designer uses different brown palettes for the imagery and typography in this logo. The symbol is a man wearing sunglasses while grinding a metal. The typography comes in several types. Above the symbol is a metal workshop in an arch-down style, while below are bold uppercase letters for the name.
5. Burning Kettle
Created by Amanda Ström | https://dribbble.com/shots/16339015-Burning-Kettle-v-2-0
A rebranding for Burning Kettle also evokes a retro feeling. The antique kettle with a burning effect on its surrounding depicts the name well. The designer still adds the name in arch-down style using bold uppercase letters. She also adds establishment years in a smaller font. Below is the tagline tea for coffee drinkers in inflate style. The orange background matches the white circle well.
6. Classic Hikes of the Smokies
Created by Logan Hall | https://dribbble.com/shots/18159554-Classic-Hikes-of-the-Smokies
The brand identity system for a hiking program called Classic Hikes of the Smokies also brings a retro feel. Its retro logo design evokes the benefits of trail work in heavily trafficked areas of Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Green is the dominant color in this branding. It includes both rectangular and circular Mountain View on the post stamps with bold typography.
7. Detroit Motor City
Created by Laura Dillema | https://dribbble.com/shots/17414441-Detroit-Motor-City
Detroit Motor City has a retro logo concept, although it does not incorporate any imagery and graphic elements. The designer only makes the typography more creative by adding two different font styles and sizes on the black background.
The Detroit typography is in bold style, and the motor city is in more handwriting style underneath.
8. Shane Smith Music
Created by HOUS | https://dribbble.com/shots/14748810-Shane-Smith-Music
An illustration for Shane Smith Music makes a good rebranding because it applies a retro style. It includes an oval shape with a cowboy life in Texas City illustration on it. The combination of navy and orange also depicts the old and antique look. The typography also looks classic, with a rope style above and a bold style below the illustration.
9. Moa Earthworks
Created by Coric Design | https://dribbble.com/shots/18371801-Moa-Earthworks-Logo-Design
An emblem logo concept for a small earthworks company in British Colombia called Moa Earthworks applies a retro style too. This retro logo design includes a bold Moa bird which looks classic, literal, and masculine. The combination of red and blue palettes is a compliment to American culture brands. Even the emblem's background looks like an old parchment with a stamp on it.
10. Run 4 Fun
Created by Moises MSiX | https://dribbble.com/shots/20591931-Run-4-Fun
Run for Fun is a design for t-shirts, stickers, patches, and other merchandise that evokes a retro style. It uses more colorful schemes but an old effect. The symbol is a sneaker character in a combination of green and blue. The typography appears above and below the character. The run typography is in red, while the fun typography is in blue.
11. BBCo
Created by Ben Howes | https://dribbble.com/shots/17433327-BBCo-Patch-Pack
A UK-based headwear company that focuses on an eco-conscious mission called BBCo releases a patch pack that combines modern and retro styles. It consists of five different patches, including a red nurture nature society, an orange wilder place, and a devotion to the ocean in black. The two rest patches are blue adjusted attitude association and brow forever free to roam.
12. RetroSpect
Created by Ulysses Design Co | https://dribbble.com/shots/14677178-RetroSpect
A retro logo design for Retrospect features a vintage muscle car-inspired design out of Salt Lake City. It is a brand identity for a new apparel brand called Retrospect which wants to radiate a classical look. The brand name above the car looks very retro with the red effect. The typography underneath that combines red and dark blue also supports the old vibe.
13. Skilline
Created by Skilline | https://dribbble.com/shots/20636880-Illustration
Skilline presents a bit of a retro vibe through its hippocampus illustration. Using a mix of blue, Tosca, cream, and yellow, the designer created a perfect hippocampus character with some water drops and water on both sides. The tagline surrounds the character in cream uppercase letters, which look distinct on a black background. It serves as a good design for apparel or other products.
14. Mighty Mosquito Trail Race & Relay
Created by Danielle Podeszek | https://dribbble.com/shots/18128327-Mighty-Mosquito-Trail-Race-Relay
A logo design for Mighty Mosquito Trail & Relay evokes a retro vibe but still looks modern. It uses orange as the dominant color for the background and inside the symbol. The mosquito character is in dark green, similar to the bold typography of its name underneath. The designer also adds orange typography for Trail Race & Relay, looks clear on a white rectangular shape.
15. Home in the City
Created by Joshua Diaz | https://dribbble.com/shots/17805468-Home-in-the-City
Joshua Diaz created a retro logo design for a brewery in New York called Home in the City. It includes the brewery name in different font styles and sizes inside a rectangular shape. The Home appears bigger and bolder, while the city typography only uses a standard font. The designer put man and woman characters on both sides of the shape.
16. Nienow
Created by NienowBrand | https://dribbble.com/shots/15679359-Vintage-Badge-Design
Nienow made a branding with her exciting full-time freelance decision for designing. She specializes in branding, apparel, animation, type design, and illustration. She evokes the design specialties on a new badge beautifully in green. She also uses a unique shape for the badge and puts a Saratoga typeface and flowers to adorn the badge on both sides.
17. The Hometown Garage
Created by Torey Needham | https://dribbble.com/shots/17694761-The-Hometown-Garage-Pt-1
A logo concept for the Hometown Garage also uses a retro concept. Although it does not incorporate imagery or graphics, people can feel the retro vibe from the color schemes and typography. Besides a cream background, the designer combines black and yellow for the typography. The hometown font style looks classic, while the rest typography uses a standard font with different sizes.
18. Brode
Created by The Creative Canopy | https://dribbble.com/shots/15179468-Brode-Retro-Style
A retro logo design created by the Creative Canopy called Brodé looks simple and unique. It includes a navy background with a symbol formed by circles in different colors like cream, blue, and orange. Hence, it looks like intertwined characters. The typography for its name is a standard font in orange uppercase letters. This logo design is available for customization.
19. Wildwood Design Co
Created by Wildwood Design Co | https://dribbble.com/shots/14971560-Wildwood-Design-Co
Wildwood Design Co. created a retro branding for their services, a freelance graphic arts designer in California. They include several patches with a combination of navy and yellow. You can discover a half-sun character with the name and a navy patch containing the white typography of this designer. The rest patches is a panther with a name and tagline "respect the locals" and a Californian view.
20. Haver
Created by SAMPLE | https://dribbble.com/shots/14682337-Haver-Patch-Hat
Some apparel is currently in the works with a newly established company, Haver Supply Co. The designer plays around with some uppercase script for a patch hat which evokes a retro vibe successfully. It is a red oval with a yellow line and yellow typography for the brand name. The dark green in the background also makes the retro style feel stronger.
21. Hairgy
Created by Lara Iskritskaya | https://dribbble.com/shots/18932834-Hairgy
Lara Iskirtskaya created a retro logo design for a New York-based brand called Hairgy. She benefits from a mix of black and white for the illustration and typography. The illustration is an old sewing machine with hair coming out from its body. Below is the bold typography of the name with a brownish effect. She also put the tagline in smaller font underneath.
22. Sunday Garage
Created by Nelson Nokela | https://dribbble.com/shots/15015787-Flash-Folio-2020-7
Nelson Nokela uses a combination of teal, orange, black, pink pastel, and white in his design consistently. He also applies these color schemes when designing branding for Sunday Garage. He uses black for the old car and the flag in nature we nurture. Meanwhile, you can discover the Tosca for the local artists and motel signs. The rest elements combine black and orange.
23. Mushroom
Created by NienowBrand | https://dribbble.com/shots/18175168-Mushroom-Logo
A badge for a home mushroom growing kit designed by Nienobrand evokes a retro vibe as it sticks to simplicity. It incorporates a mushroom in the middle with spores spread in its surrounding. The typography of Southern Spore Works Incorporates is bold and uses uppercase letters. The designer also put the typography of the year establishment below the mushroom with a similar font.
24. Vandoit
Created by Ben Howes | https://dribbble.com/shots/15297651-Vandoit-Identity
A brand identity for a family-run custom van camping company in Missouri called Vandoit includes a retro logo design. It is a rectangle with Mountain View inside with a black and white combination for the mountains. It also uses different orange palettes for the sun and skies. The typography of the company name appears at the bottom in bold orange lowercase script.
25. Lang Beer Co
Created by SAMPLE | https://dribbble.com/shots/17022344-Lang-Beer-Co-Badges
Several badges for a brewery in Clear Lake called Lang Beer Co use a retro concept. It combines red, white, and dark green for those badges. One of the badges only uses dark green color with a rectangle and a duck image above. Others are circles with typography in red and a dark green oval badge with a storage tube symbol and red typography.
26. Local Yokels
Created by Chelsea Bunn | https://dribbble.com/shots/19480740-Local-Yokels-Emblem
An Appalachian outdoor and lifestyle brand called Local Yokes sticks to the retro concept. Its emblem is a black circle with bold white typography in uppercase letters for the brand name and its establishment year. The black circle matches well with the dark green outer line. You can discover a beautiful natural view, yellow LY initials, and a skunk inside the circle.
27. Rita Ray
Created by Hellsjells | https://dribbble.com/shots/15133004-Rita-Ray-Logotype-Concept
A retro logo design concept for Rita Ray looks simple because it only contains typography. It combines a black background and pink typography, which get a brush effect to evoke an old look. The bold typography with a double R at the front and adornments on some letters look retro, although it does not incorporate any imagery or illustration.
28. Cartridge
Created by Zachary Wieland | https://dribbble.com/shots/5559791-Cartridge
Zachary Wieland created a brand mark for a new brewery located in an old shotgun shell factory in Kings Mills, Ohio, called Cartridge. It looks like a CD with a combination of dark green and white. The inner layer is white with the green typography of Cartridge Brewing. The outer layer connects with the rest circle, which has dark green and white typography.
29. Mama Americana
Created by Mama Americana | https://dribbble.com/shots/10734978-Mama-Americana
Mama Americana Curated Antiques also has a retro brand identity. The designer uses red and blue color schemes for the graphic and typography. It incorporates an antique car carrying an old watch and other stuff on its back. The typography uses a classic font style for the name and year establishment.
The typography for the stuff offered in red uppercase letterrs is underneath.
30. Criquet Stuff
Created by SAMPLE | https://dribbble.com/shots/16305692-Criquet-Stuff
Criquet Staff released some brand assets and a retro logo design used on its apparel products. It uses a mix of dark green, yellow, and white. It consists of several emblems with different typography like criquet, criquet shirts, criquet golf & stuff, and Billy's Bowling Beer and Burgers. The graphics available in this design are a glass of beverage, Ace cards, and Texas maps.
Frequently Ask Questions
What graphic elements can I use to represent retro logo designs?
To represent retro logo designs, you can use a variety of graphic elements that were popular in past eras. These include classic typography, such as serif and script fonts, and vintage color palettes, like muted earth tones and pastels. You can also incorporate decorative elements like badges, crests, and emblems, which were commonly used in the past. Other graphic elements that can add a retro feel to a logo include geometric shapes, such as circles, triangles, and squares, and vintage illustrations or icons that are reminiscent of a particular time period.
Which colors are commonly used in retro logo designs?
When it comes to retro logo designs, color palettes tend to vary depending on the specific era or style that the design is inspired. However, some common colors used in retro logos include muted earth tones, pastels, and bold primary colors like red, blue, and yellow. These colors were popular during different decades, with muted earth tones and pastels being popular in the 1950s and 1960s and bold primary colors being popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Other colors that can add a retro feel to a logo include shades of brown, orange, green, and pink.
What are the successful examples of retro logo designs?
There are many successful examples of retro logo designs, including Coca-Cola, Jack Daniel's, and Levi's. The Coca-Cola logo has maintained its distinctive vintage aesthetic since its introduction in the late 19th century, with its classic script font, bright red color palette, and vintage wave pattern. Jack Daniel's logo also features a classic serif font, a vintage illustration of the brand's founder, and a muted color palette that evokes a sense of tradition and heritage. Levi's uses a retro logo design that features a classic script font and a red tab with the brand's name, which has become an iconic symbol of the brand.
What is the objective of retro logo designs?
The objective of retro logo designs is to evoke a sense of nostalgia and vintage charm in order to create a connection with the audience. Retro logos are designed to appeal to those who appreciate the aesthetics of past eras and want to be reminded of a simpler time. They often convey a sense of authenticity, heritage, and tradition, which can be particularly effective for brands that want to create a strong emotional connection with their customers. Retro logos can also help businesses differentiate themselves from competitors who use more modern and minimalist design styles.
Which target audience should I keep in mind when creating retro logo designs?
When creating retro logo designs, it's important to consider the target audience and the message that the brand wants to convey. Retro logos are often used by businesses targeting customers who appreciate the aesthetics and nostalgia of past eras and who are looking for products or services with a sense of authenticity and tradition. This can include older consumers who have fond memories of a particular time period, as well as younger consumers who are drawn to the retro aesthetic as a form of escapism.
Let us know what you think!
All of these fantastic logo design ideas are created by some of the most talented logo designers worldwide. We hope you enjoy our gallery and remember to leave us a comment below. Cheers!
