$99 Websites + Website Design: 30+ Best Vintage Logo Templates (And Tips & Tricks on Creating Vintage Logo Design)

Retro design has been popular since the early 70s, when the term was coined, and over the years the popularity of different styles and characteristics from past eras has continued to inform design.

Today we take a look at the best retro logo templates available at Placeit and Envato Elements and share a few tips and tricks on how to create a vintage logo.

Unlimited Retro Logo Templates From Placeit and Envato Elements

If you're wondering how to design a vintage logo, Placeit and Envato Elements are two terrific resources for premium retro logo designs that you should check out.

Placeit is an affordable online design generator that provides design novices as well as those with more experience with high-quality logos, designs, videos and mockups that they can customise online—directly from the browser, without needing complicated software—and download in a matter of minutes.

What's more, Placeit is designed to suit a range of budgets. So if you regularly need logos, mockups and various designs, you can sign up for a low monthly or yearly plan. This gives you access to unlimited downloads of any and all the digital assets available at Placeit.

Like Placeit, Envato Elements also offers thousands of premium logos, designs, videos, mockups, etc. And you can also download as many as you want, as often as you want, for one flat monthly or yearly fee. However, whereas Placeit is ideal for those who want to create quality logos quickly, Envato Elements is best suited for those who have a good basic knowledge of software like Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign and who can spend more time customising their template using one of those apps.

Later we'll take a look at some of the terrific retro logo designs available at both Placeit and Envato Elements, but first let's look at what makes for a good retro/vintage logo.

What Is a Vintage Logo?

Every era has a defining spirit and mood—and often more than one—which is captured in specific design principles and elements like line, shape, colour, texture, etc. When we use these design characteristics from a bygone era, we are using a vintage logo to inform our contemporary logo design. By doing so, we are announcing to the world that our brand exemplifies the spirit and mood of that era.

What Makes a Good Retro Logo?

Good retro logo design isn't just about choosing the aesthetics from an era you like; rather it's about reinforcing your brand identity by carefully selecting specific characteristics from an era that embodies your brand.

To create good retro logos, therefore, you need to be clear about what the specific design characteristics of your chosen era are and what those characteristics represent.

Let's look at a few select design characteristics from the most popular eras. This will help us to identify what values and spirit those eras embodied and pick out some design elements that were used to capture and represent those values and spirit.

1920s

Following the brutal WW1, the Roaring 20s, as they came to be called, embodied freedom and rule-breaking of all sorts. With more young women moving into paid employment, women became a consumer power. Fashion expanded rapidly to meet their demands, with rising hemlines, loose-fitting dresses and bobbed hair allowing women to be physically freer. The era was marked by the explosion of jazz, speakeasies, bootleg, parties, and culture, and the new woman went to clubs, listened to jazz, and smoked.

The values and spirit of the time came to represent luxury, glamour, exuberance, and faith in social and technological progress. In design, it was captured by the Art Deco movement, which was defined by rich colour, black and metallics, bold geometry, symmetrical designs in exuberant shapes, and decadent detail work. Likewise, fonts from the era tended to use clean lines with geometric embellishments.

So if your company represents the carefree elegance and freedom of this era, then make sure your vintage logo design incorporates these characteristics.

1950s

The 1950s were another era of post-war recovery, this time from WW2. These years, particularly in the US, saw a boom in industry and optimism. Consumerism took off, and expensive purchases like new cars and household appliances came within the reach of more and more families.

Design trends from that era reflect that sense of optimism and progress, shedding the embellishments of earlier eras and embracing a bold, clean, more futuristic look influenced by science, space exploration, and new and improved technologies. During the war, graphics were easy to reproduce on simple presses, and even after the war, the style stuck.

Pastel colours—pink, turquoise, mint green, pale yellow, and blue— were particularly popular, as well as colours that were clean and bright like vibrant yellow, electric blue, orange, red, black, and white.

If you're looking for a 1950s vintage script font, Envato Elements has a large collection of great fonts for you to choose from.

1960s

The 1960s were a volatile period. With minority groups around the world fighting for equality, the period came to embody anti-establishment values and alternative philosophies, an age of counter-culture, hippies, and free love.

Though corporate logos for the most part aimed to project a safer, more conservative brand appeal, the spirit of the era was captured with psychedelic colours, halftone Pop Art, and bold, revolutionary designs which captured some of the effects of the mind-altering drugs popular in the era.

Popular colours of the era were green, gold, orange, and yellow, with somewhat more vibrant hues than in the 1950s. Check out Envato Elements for a terrific collection of 1960s vintage script fonts.

1970s

Famous for bell-bottoms and the rise of disco, the 1970s were another tumultuous time, filled with many social movements for greater freedom and equality and cultural trends that greatly influenced graphic design with bold, bright colours and patterns and plenty of creative typography featuring 70s lettering fonts like this vintage script font from Envato Elements.

Use a 70s-style logo if you want to give your brand a groovy, laidback vibe.

1980s

The spirit of the 1980s was all about over-indulgence and over-consumption. Video games became popular, and this created the 8-bit graphic aesthetic. The explosion of pop music with an edgy, rebellious style was enjoyed on the new Walkman, which became as much a part of everyday life as vibrant colours, neons, chrome, crazy patterns, futuristic fonts, lycra leggings, and larger-than-life hairstyles.

If you want to capture the 8-bit graphic aesthetic in your logo, Envato Elements has a terrific selection of pixel bit fonts you should check out.

Pixel Bit - Modern Unique Futuristic Display Font

Tips and Tricks for Creating Good Retro Logos

1. Research the era you're inspired by to identify the exact values and spirit you are seeking to capture in your logo.

2. Pay attention to the colour hues, shades, and tints of the era, and select two or three colours that you want to use in your logo.

3. Study the graphics of the era, and make sure the graphic styles you select are authentic to that era.

4. Your font must reflect the era, so pay attention to the font style of the era. If you're looking for terrific vintage script fonts, check out the wonderful collection at Envato Elements.

5. Get help with your logo design from a service like Placeit or Envato Elements, where you will find tons of readymade vintage logo templates that you can customise quickly and easily. Let's take a look at some of the best retro logos available from both services.

15 Retro Logo Designs From Placeit

If you want to know how to create a vintage logo design online, Placeit is a terrific resource. Check out these 15 gorgeous logo designs, all of which can be customised online with the Placeit Vintage Logo Maker.

Vintage Logo Design Online

This vintage logo design is just what you need to capture the spirit of the 50s. Use the Placeit Vintage Logo Maker to change the background colour, the font and the graphics to one that best suits your brand while staying within the 50s vibe.

Vintage Logo Maker

Bikers will appreciate this retro logo design with tools on display. There are loads of other graphics to choose from if these ones don't do the trick.

Vintage Circle Logo

Love vintage circle logos? Well, how about this one? You can change the colours and the font, as well as the circle embellishments.

Vintage Logo Template

How cool is this 80s-inspired vintage logo template? Play around with the colour scheme to give your logo the pop you need.

Retro Vintage Logo Design Template

There's something irresistible about vintage motorcycle logos. Use this template as inspiration for creating your own.

Retro Logo Design

Capture the spirit of the 80s with this cool retro logo design. Use the vintage logo maker to find a graphic that works for your brand.

Vintage Logo T-Shirts

How awesome is this cool vintage logo design template for motorbike clubs? It's super easy to change the background as well as the graphics and text. Give it a try!

Vintage Logo Design Template

Placeit has plenty of vintage badge logos in all sorts of shapes and styles, so if that's what you're looking for, you won't be disappointed.

Old-Fashioned Logo Design

Vintage car fanatics will be thrilled by the retro logos dedicated to cars that you can find at Placeit. Don't take my word for it. Head on over and find out for yourself.

Retro Logo Design

There is a vintage style logo for everyone at Placeit—even for tattoo artists. Templates like this one have plenty of graphics to choose from, so there's bound to be an image that'll knock your socks off.

Vintage Logo Design Online

Clothing brands, retro logo designs are perfect for you. So don't play it safe and boring. Head to Placeit to find a style that'll suit your taste.

Vintage Badge Logo Design

Here's another option for clothing makers who are looking for a retro logo design that is clean and minimalist while maintaining that retro vibe.

Vintage Logo Template

This vintage logo design template for clothing brands is yet another example of a retro approach. Use the vintage logo maker to choose the right graphics, colours, and font for your brand.

Vintage Logo Maker

If you're a fan of the 80s gaming scene, then you'll love this 8-bit retro logo design. There are loads of vintage gaming graphics to choose from. Take a look!

Vintage Logo Template

How's this for a vintage logo template? Update it with your own business details to make this terrific logo your own.

Retro Logo

Sometimes the retro vibe is all about the graphic you choose. What's good about choosing a Placeit vintage logo design online is that one easy template offers a wide selection of graphics with a retro vibe to make sure you get your design just right.

15 Retro Logo Designs From Envato Elements

Now let's take a look at the 15 best retro logo designs you can find at Envato Elements. Unlike Placeit templates, these templates require a basic knowledge of Adobe software so that you can customise them to your specific needs.

Vintage Badge Logo With Floral Elements (AI)

Vintage badge logos have become very popular today, so it's no wonder that you want to create your own. Happily, you don't have to create your own logo from scratch. That's because this Illustrator template allows you to change the details and colours so that you can make this gorgeous logo your very own.

Brewing Vintage Logo Template (AI, EPS, JPG, PNG, PSD)

Breweries, pubs, bistros, and craft beer makers will be happy to see the inclusion of this vintage logo template. The text, colours, and size are all editable, and the design comes in several popular file formats.

Old-Fashioned Logo Design: Vintage Car (AI, EPS, JPG, PNG, PSD)

Here's a gorgeous vintage car retro logo template that can be edited in illustrator and Photoshop. Change the text and colours to suit your needs, and scale it as big or small as you need.

Vintage Logo Design With Floral Elements (AI)

Need a vintage badge logo? How about this one? It's fully editable in Adobe Illustrator. Just add your own details and it's ready for download.

Cowfarm Vintage Logo Template (AI, EPS, JPG, PNG, PSD)

This wonderful vintage logo template is fully scalable to suit any project and is also fully editable so you can change the text and the colours as needed.

Seaplane Service Retro Logo Design (AI, EPS, JPG, PNG, PSD)

This beautifully hand-drawn vintage logo template is easy to customise in Illustrator. You can change the colours, text, and fonts, and the files are fully scalable for any size requirements.

Livestock Old-Fashioned Logo Design (AI, EPS, JPG, PNG, PSD)

This sweet farm retro logo is an excellent choice for natural or organic farming brands. If you have a good knowledge of Illustrator, the template is very easy to customise to suit your own needs.

Retro Logo Design - Vintage (AI, EPS, JPG, PNG, PSD)

Who doesn't love vintage cars? Use this template to customise this awesome retro logo for your own brand. You can change the colours, text, font type, and size to suit your needs.

Barber Shop Vintage Logo Template (AI, EPS, JPG, SVG)

This Barber Shop Vintage Logo is a great choice if you want to capture that retro vibe in your own logo. The files are 100% vector so can be scaled to any size. You can also edit the colours, text, and fonts. A PDF help file is available if you get stuck

Vintage Logo T-Shirt Template (AI)

Don't hesitate to download this terrific retro logo. Customisation is easy if you have some knowledge of Illustrator. It's a great retro logo for all sorts of businesses.

Fisherman Vintage Badge Logo (AI, EPS, JPG, PNG, PSD)

Fishing companies, seafood shops, restaurants, and supply shops will love this retro fisherman logo. It's fully editable using Illustrator or Photoshop.

Wanderlust Vintage Badge Logo Patch Vector (AI, EPS, SVG, JPG, PNG, PSD)

Never has a vintage badge logo looked so good. Great for nature clubs, travellers, and others, this logo is completely customisable using a variety of software.

Retro Vintage Logo With Motorcycle (AI, EPS, JPG, PNG, PSD)

We've had vintage motorcycle club logos, but we haven't featured a vintage motorcycle garage sign. So here it is. Fully editable and ready to download.

Vintage Handyman Mascot Logo (AI)

Vintage Handyman Mascot Logo is a great choice for builders, contractors, home renovation, or related services. The files are fully scalable and editable in Illustrator.

Vintage Badge Logo (AI, SVG, EPS, JPG, PNG, PSD, PDF)

This vintage badge logo is an excellent choice for camping enthusiasts, hiking lovers, mountaineering fans, and others. The text, colours, and size are all editable, and the design comes in several popular file formats.

Choose Your Favourite Vintage Logo Design Today

If you want to know how to design a vintage logo, both Placeit and Envato Elements are excellent resources to turn to. They both provide gorgeous vintage logo design templates that you can customise extensively. If you also regularly need mockups, icons, and other design resources, they both offer great value for money as you get unlimited downloads for one low monthly or yearly fee. Head over to either site today to download your favourite vintage logo design.

And finally, if you want more information on logos, check out these really helpful articles below: