When you think back to the 1980s, you may imagine something like vibrant neon colors and the rise of digital technology. This era marked a bold fusion of technological advancement and expressive visual culture. As a result, 80s graphic design is often defined by its glamorous, high-energy aesthetic.
Want to learn more about this era? Let’s dive into this article below.
Key Takeaways:
In the previous era, graphic design tended to embrace minimalism. Thus, graphic design in the 80s began to radically reject the idea of minimalism and embrace a more expressive art style. This led to the rebirth of pop art and neo-expressionism, which was popular in street art.
During this period, the trend of bright colors, digital graphics, geometrical shapes, and tech-inspired visuals flourished, making it one of the most vibrant art periods.
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Graphic design in the 1980s was shaped by bold artistic movements, new technology, and pop culture. The Memphis Group introduced a playful mix of pop art and art deco, encouraging expressive, geometric design.
Technological advancement also played a vital role. In the early to mid-80s, personal computers like the Apple Macintosh became widely available. So, how was graphic design done in the 80s? With the rise of the personal computer came graphic tablets and early design software.
The launch of the Macintosh in 1984 introduced MacPaint, which revolutionized raster-based digital design. Soon after, tools like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop paved the way for more advanced vector and image editing.
In terms of cultural trends, MTV also contributed to 80s graphic design. As music videos grew popular, musicians worked with visual artists, mixing sound and visuals. This trend influenced album covers and fashion, expanded the role of graphic design in the 80s.
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The graphic design in the 1980s actually had many characteristics since many trends and art forms happened during this time. Here is some of the most popular art that happened in the 80s.
The Memphis-Milano style was considered the root of the 80s style. This style combines art deco and pop art, resulting in a style with geometric shapes, asymmetric proportions, bold visuals, and bright colors. According to Devanny Gumulya, its style paradigm, “form follows fun,” creates art that is fresh, eccentric, and bizarre.
Inspired by Memphis, 80s Deco puts a sleek twist on traditional Art Deco. It merges minimalism with glamorous flair, featuring clean sans-serif typography with sharp angles and curves.
The 80s Tropical Art is all about vibrant color and vacation vibes. It uses bright neons and soft pastels to depict palm trees, beaches, and floral themes. Typography often mixes clean sans-serifs with expressive fonts to reflect a playful, relaxed mood.
Pop art in the 80s made a bold comeback, driven by consumer culture and mass media. It featured bright colors, playful imagery, and mixed media, embracing visual excess over minimalism.
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Cyberpunk became an iconic part of 80s graphic design, introducing a futuristic vision of technology and cyberspace. Neon grids, metallic textures, pixelated effects, and glowing lasers define this bold, sci-fi-inspired aesthetic.
A darker version of cyberpunk, Neon Noir is best known for its use in film and moody storytelling. It combines noir-style lighting and muted tones with glowing neon highlights, creating a mysterious and futuristic atmosphere rooted in technology and shadow.
The 1980s graphic design had a huge influence on contemporary design. Its artistic expression in embracing vibrant colors and expressive shapes encourages modern art to be more expressive, too.
Cyberpunk is still relevant today. Furthermore, the depiction of cyberpunk today is more refined by adopting current technology, like the internet and virtual reality. In the 2010s, retro-futurism cyberpunk was reborn as vaporwave.
Vaporwave blends tech-inspired design from the 80s and 90s, combining 80s grids and bright pastels with 90s elements like 3D graphics, floppy disks, VHS glitches, and early web design. Unlike the neon-heavy look of 80s cyberpunk, vaporwave leans more toward soft pinks and blues.
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The influence of 80s graphic design continues to resonate in today’s creative world, offering a unique opportunity to explore retro styles that evoke a sense of nostalgia. With its bold colors, geometric compositions, and futuristic flair, this iconic era provides endless inspiration for infusing creative work with timeless visual charm.Ready to dive into the retro design trend? Start with the perfect typeface. Zarma Type offers a diverse selection of fonts, from stylish sans serifs to bold and experimental designs, each crafted to capture that vintage vibe. Find the right font for your retro design, or try fonts for just $1 to experiment before you commit.
