Styles can be fleeting and some things–thankfully–never make a comeback (RIP shoulder pads). But the iconic 80’s vibe that was so prevalent in its time is now enjoying a resurgence across the spectrum in design, movies, and music and I couldn’t help but get in on the action (even though I ran, I ran so far away). I love the nostalgia that a retro design can provide; probably because I was a late 80’s baby. In terms of trends, I’m really not sure how long it will last. My hope is that it sticks around and I can keep riding that sweet synth wave until I’m old with mold.

This retro design project was loads of fun and full of big hair and tons of synth. This project included a graphic promo for Instagram, FB event, environmental (triple-wide) projector videos/stills, announcement slide, speaker intro video, and 2 video promos. One of the video promos included the painful agony endured by taking a nerf dart to the face from my wife at point blank range. And yes, she enjoyed it and so did my son. To try and match the look and feel of the design, I updated the logos as well.

Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects were the instruments of choice for this 80’s ballad. With it being the 80’s, I had tons of inspiration everywhere I looked to get the creative juices flowing. I started out with designing the core elements in Photoshop and then brought the layers into After Effects to animate. Masking the skyline of the buildings was tedious but I was pleased with the end results.

Lastly, to seal the deal of the retro design I programmed a light sequence to queue up after the countdown video and sync with the intro video. For the main set I programmed transitions for each song with a different light routine to match each EP. Probably the most tubular project for me to date and really a great night in general.