Vintage Websites: The New Modern Trend

After we experience the thrill of new trends and and we let ourselves get carried away by the most enthusiastic innovative ideas, at the end of it there lies an instinct of safe-keeping towards our most beloved flashbacks of the past… And once in a while, what was old, dusty and forgotten for many years arises charming and dazzling in the spotlights, bringing a touch of immortality to our everyday lives.

And when it comes to webdesign, it makes no exception… After years of frantic searches for the most innovative and creative tools and layouts that could woo the audience, the vintage trend proved its indisputable charm and fascination, casting its influence on the webdesign scene, becoming an attractive modern trend.

Besides offering your layout an unique and personal beauty and distinction, creating a rich and inspirational vintage layout has the fascinating effect of carrying you away decades into the past, in a world that captivates with its ravishing colors and stories.

Taking inspiration from textures and patterns from the period meant to be evoked, the design usually brings an element of surprise and unexpected, creating a strange (and captivating) feeling of joy and nostalgia for the one looking at it… and in our experience, this is usually the kind of feeling we enjoy to inspire in others through our creative work.

At the very first look, you might roll your eyes bored and try to come up with a reason to even consider going for this kind of approach… well, we find it amazing. First, you must keep in mind that this is, in the majority of cases, a totally different realm, offering a wide range of inspiring motifs, soft textures and lively characters that used to be an essential and colorful part of the past they represent.

Being strongly influenced by the time period they masterly represent, the webdesign with vintage inspiration has to exhibit the main influences of that era and mainly, its representative graphic elements. So we find it important to clearly separate the three main directions of this trend: retro inspiration, vintage inspiration and renaissance inspiration…

All three have their own beauty and charm, and we took the time to find some of the most beautiful designs to illustrate the concept.

1. Retro

OK… so the first impression might give you the false idea that retro and vintage pretty much look alike… Correction: you couldn’t be more wrong. If you take a good look at all these examples, you will definitely sense the difference.

First, retro layouts mainly use soft tones of surprisingly colorful grays and warm hues of beige, creating an almost dreamlike image, like summoning memories from the past… and using special patterns and delicate textures makes everything look a little bit old and dusty…

On of the most used (and specific, at the same time) elements abounding  the retro scene is the letter (and card) pattern. From black and white plucked photographs to long traveling card and letters, everything easily come together to create a lively and veracious scene to help you transpose in some lost and bohemian world…

Amelia Earhart Book Website by Brand Aid Design Co.

Webdesigner.Ro Website by Headstrong

Targetscope Website by Targetscope

Ben Faragau Photography Website by Advantasy

Big Sweater Design Website by Vincent Maglione

DNA to Darwin Website by Hicksdesign

The Dollar Dreadful Family Library Website by Wilhelm Staehle & T.D.Rio

The Astonishing Adventures of Lord Likely Website by Adam Wintle Design

Eric Henning Magic Website by Avalon Rose Design

Hem Jeans Website by Pixel Peach Studio

Jared Campbell The Official Website by Beaut Productions

JROJR Website by Joe R. O’Bryant JR

Media Boom Website by Media Boom

Sensisoft Website by Endorfine

Really Roseberry Website by Avalon Rose Design

Sprocket House Website by Sprocket House

The Nest Website by Avalon Rose Design

2. Vintage

Vintage, on the other side, although conservative,  is a much more dynamic approach, making all these lively and bright colors bloom, creating an image of new, excitement and adventurous. The textures are more stiff and the colors are more vibrant, simulating real surfaces, like wood, bricks and hard stone walls…

The layout usually uses more vibrant elements, which can variate from colorful, ingenuous images to more complex and abstract concepts, but overall giving it an advertising feel, making the layout look like an old poster on a wall… the effect is pretty much amazing, transporting you on another dimension, as if you’re really standing in front of it….

The used  papers and old photographs patterns can be found in vintage layouts as well as in retro, but this time, the colors burst into rainbows, overwhelming the eyes with rich images and ravishing memories, taking you on a trip to places  that will fill your heart with unexpected emotions and joy.

Amazee Labs Website by Amazeelabs

Benestar Website by Toucouleur

Corvus Design Studio Website by Corvus Design Studio

Huxley Prairie Festival Website by Noe Design Studio

Mouse to Minx Website

Mutt Ink Website by Cooper Graphic Design

Ths Website by Thomas Schostok

Utah Travel Website

Tennessee Vacation Website by Design Sensory

Windrock Lodge Website by Design Sensory

Lanikai Properties Website by Vignette Brand Communications

The Ernest Hemingway Collection Website by Brand Aid

Blue Moon Dueling Piano Website

Five Cent Stand Website by Otterball

Gary Nock Website by They Integrated Inc.

Riders Network Website by HEBAtec

Kristin Heather Design Website by Kristin Heather

Fred Perry Website by De Facto Design

Devotchka Website

Level 2 Design Website by Level 2 Design

Slabovia TV Website by TERN

Team Fannypack Website by Denise Chandler

3. Renaissance

It’s really not hard to recognize the Renaissance influences when you come across to a design with such inspiration… What first impresses you (if), are the strong colors and heavy, rich details with filigree patterns, enriched with precious elements such as jewelry, feathers and complicated floral graphic.

Everything about the layout will fill your mind with amazement and curiosity, offering  a dreamlike perception of the reality, enchanting you with abundant images and a feeling of feast and richness. Even the text seems like transposed from an old and captivating fairy-tale book…

The layout might seem a bit crowded and heavy for the most of you, but if you take a closer look, everything around it  is masterly embedded in the luxurious atmosphere it creates.

Anstasia’s Attic Website by Avalon Rose Design

The Shoppe At Flatwoods Website by Avalon Rose Design

LDSARTSHOW Website by Big Exports and Atix Media

Xocolatl Website by New Media Design

Theo Cacao Website  by Scott Stevenson

Noelle Garrett Designs Website by Avalon Rose Design

As you already figured it out, Avalon Rose Design seems to have a crush for rich Renaissance inspired design, displaying on their website an impressive gallery of websites with lovely Renaissance layout and inspiring, precious details, that we are pretty sure you might enjoy to watch. So if you’re curious to find more inspiration for your Renaissance layout, visit their website to see what they got.

At the end…

Each of these design inspiration pattern holds its own fascination, helping you create strong emotional connection with the viewers and enabling in their minds charming and memorable scenes, where images from the past cast their beauty over the layout, creating a genuine vintage atmosphere to your delight.

When it comes to webdesign, but we sure can transform your vintage, melancholic ideas into live and amazing layouts, just like we did for Foursided.

And if you want to see more of our gallery, please feel free to visit our website, at BrightPink Studio and take a look at what we can do.