Gay Nineties Revival vs 70’s Retro
ゲイ・ナインティーズ・リバイバル / 70年代レトロ
Gay Nineties Revival comes from Historical Styles and 70’s Retro from Retro. They are reached for with some of the same intent, which is where they get confused.
Gay Nineties Revival
A late-1960s and 1970s revival of 1890s shops, rooms, and lettering as warm popular nostalgia. It is warmer than historical Victorian design, gathering brass, medium-dark wood, ferns, faux Tiffany glass, and old-fashioned lettering around food and entertainment.
70’s Retro
Builds cheerful nostalgia from thick round shapes and earthy warm color.
| Gay Nineties Revival | 70’s Retro | |
|---|---|---|
| Era | late 1960s–late 1970s | 1970s |
| Family | Historical Styles | Retro |
| Kind | Style | Style |
| Cues | Brown, orange, antique gold, maroon, and pale lime / Oak, brass, colored glass, and indoor ferns / Heavy rounded serifs, swashes, and curved sign lettering / Theatrical saloons, sweet shops, and entertainment venues | Fat curves / Wave forms / Orange and brown / Repeating stripes |
| Best used for | Giving hospitality or confectionery the approachable 1970s idea of the 1890s · Comparing a revival’s warm commercial editing with its Victorian source | Warming up food, music and community · A slightly loose, easy joyfulness |
| Type | Use a rounded heavy serif and curved swashes for the short shop name, then return body copy to a small oldstyle face. | Round, heavy display type |
| Composition | Gather signs, lamps, and plants around the entrance and repeat warm focal points inward. | Curvy rhythms and oversized headlines |
| Material | Use medium oak, brass, colored glass, and velvet while retaining a newly made 1970s finish. | Orange, ochre, dark brown; a touch of print misregistration |
| Caution | Indiscriminate Victorian props become a period set. Make the revival’s warm color, heavy type, and hospitable commercial use explicit. | Making everything retro becomes a costume. Keep body text and controls contemporary. |