Retro. Vintage. Old. No matter what you call it, tapping into the past is a popular inspiration for today’s web design. Nostalgia gives us a chance to slip back into the warm embrace of our histories while keeping our feet firmly planted in present. In website design, retro themes can help convey subject, tone, or style without the visitor reading one word or clicking one link. If you’re designing for a vintage brand, looking to attract hipsters, or hoping to take your visitors on a blast from the past, consider the following retro inspired themes, fonts, and icon packs.
Themes
Vintage Camera
Vintage Camera is a microblogging theme available in six vintage styles/color schemes. It supports post formats, custom menus, custom header, and custom backgrounds.
Retro Vintage
This retro WordPress theme includes a drag and drop layout creator, more than 100 shortcodes, and various widget options.
Dirty Saloon
Looking for a rugged one page WordPress Theme? This is it. Based on a Wild West theme, the developer offers a vintage feel with some modern sensibilities. It also includes Revolution Slider in the theme pricing.
Inka
Not only does Inka have a retro design, it includes the Revolution Slider, Accordion Slider, and Flex Sliders plugins. Online shop owners will appreciate the Woo Commerce integration and creatives will love the tons of portfolio layouts.
Mozzy
Mozzy is fully responsive for even the smallest screen size. It can fit a number of retro or vintage style sites because it has custom homepage structure, custom contact forms, and portfolio options.
Retro
Retro combines a vintage design with a powerful admin panel. It includes full color scheme customization as well as 5 predefined skins, the fancy Revolution Slider, custom portfolio and various shortcodes.
Hipster
The Hipster WordPress theme appeals to the bearded, skinny jean wearing, tuba playing vintage bike wearing part of your brand. Customize with over 30 backgrounds patterns, full screen rotating background images, and a responsive layout.
Secundo
Secundo is all about the numbers: over 600 Google fonts, 53 custom shortcodes, and 6 widgets.
Halftone
Halftone is a creative portfolio/blog site that includes Google map integration, contact form functionality, and the latest tweet widget.
Retro Portfolio
Retro Portfolio combines the popular one page website design with the trendy vintage style. It also includes retina integration for the logo and banner and drag and drop design for the home page.
Hanna
Hanna is described as a retro inspired theme for the Instagram generation. The template is fully responsive, built on HTML5, with the latest CSS3 features.
Fox
The Fox WordPress theme sports a clean retro style with a responsive design. It includes Google Map shortcodes, four built-in widgets, and a custom options panel.
Fonts
Bobber
Bobber was inspired by a type of minimalized custom motorcycle with the same name. Every single Bobber character is modular and grid based.
Streetwear
Streetwear is a 1960s and 70s fashion and sport related inspired script typeface designed for logo, poster, branding, packaging and t-shirt design.
Vincent
Vincent was named for the the designer’s grandfather who drove a 76′ Chrysler Cordoba and smoked out of an old wooden pipe. Thus, it gives off a retro style for title case content.
White Rabbit
White Rabbit is 60s and 70s inspired font named after the iconic Jefferson Airplane about a mind altering experience.
Highlands
Highlands is a charming slab-serif that inspired by vintage National Park posters that makes for great headlines.
Pompadour Numerals
Pompadour is a chunky numeral set inspired by the 1950s Rockabilly hairdo. Best used in large sizes, each number is designed on as a square
Airstream
Airstream is a san serif font inspired by a 60s and the named for a type of trailer that was popular at the time.
Icons
Vector 4 Free: Minimal Retro Icon Pack
Minimal Retro Icon Pack was Inspired by Mad Men and includes retro vector elements like: appliances, furniture, clothes (glass, radio, alarm clock, tv, lamp, jug, fridge, clock, tie, suitcase, hat, chair, phone
Design Shock: Vintage Icons
Vintage Icons displays technological objects from the past. The set features 50 different vintage elements ready for implementation of a really nice retro look.
Vintage Design Icons
Planning a design with a retro school inspiration? Vintage Design Icons pack has 49 icons that would fit right in. The set includes rulers, notebooks, and pens.
Pixel Retro Icon Set
Pixels’ Retro Icon set is a collection of web icons in a minimalist black, including bowler hats, pipes, and binoculars.
Crazyleaf Free Retro Icons Pack
Crazyleaf’s Retro Icons includes 100 elegant, custom designed icons available in EPS and PNG file formats. The almost sepia tone color of the icons adds to theme.
Pink Moustache: Retro
Pink Moustache’s Retro pack has 25 social media icons, in 4 colors in 48×48px and 60×60px resolution. They will remind you of old sports logos.
Only the Retro and the Hanna deserve to be at the top. Brilliant designs and awesome color selection. Good job. 🙂