One Photograph, Five Color Schemes
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Photographs are one of the best sources for color inspiration. Click through Flickr for about five seconds and you’re bound to come across a photo that has the potential to be translated into a different, but related, language: color. Oftentimes, in fact, a photograph will inspire not one color scheme, but many. Such was the case when I came across this striking image, captured by the talented Garrett LeSage.
I realized instantly that by focusing my attention to certain portions of the photo, I could easily pick out a handful of beautiful, organic color combinations. So, without further ado, here they are. Leave a link in the comments if you use one!
Finding Color Inspiration in Men’s Spring Fashion
I am one of the lucky few that actually has very little trouble finding inspiration. Almost any visual object can get my creative cogs grinding, from a corkboard filled with colorful bulletins to the warm light cast by the sun as it sinks towards the horizon.
One of my favorite hunting grounds for inspiration is the catwalk — that long runway where the art of some of the best designers in the world is put on display, hanging not on walls but on bodies. And, of course, one of my favorite things to do with such a great source of inspiration is to extract beautiful color schemes that can be applied elsewhere, for example in a website design or the tint of a photograph.
I dug through the Spring 2007 menswear collections at men.style.com and found some great color inspiration in the outfits of five well-known fashion designers. Enjoy.
Gucci
I pulled out the sandy colors of the belt and pants, then combined them with the ocean blues of the shirt. The dark color of the sandals brings it all together, allowing the other colors to “pop.”
Color Forecast: Hues to Use in 2005
About a year ago, I had the self-righteous idea to “forecast” the in colors of 2004. What I thought most people would simply brush off as “some random designer’s questionable hunch” wound up being quite a hit, and after many emails from supporters hoping for a 2005 edition, I decided to assuage their request.
To all of the nonbelievers, this forecast was derived from more than just a hunch. I take a considerable amount of time assessing design of the year past and the year to come. I take into consideration not only online design trends, but also trends in fashion, automobiles, and television. True, I pay attention to my personal thoughts on where design is headed, but, considering myself a fairly “trendy” and design-aware person, I think that’s permissible.
Take this forecast for what it is: a prediction, not a definition, of the year that follows. In some ways it may be dead on, and in others not further from the truth; regardless, design is in the eye of the beholder, and when it comes down to it every single color in the visible spectrum is a possibility. So, go forth with an open mind and, if nothing else, be inspired. Best, Adam.
The Purples
As everyone knows, there are two sides to every story, and this year’s forecast is no different: some say pink is still the color of the moment, while others insist that purple is the new pink. I agree with both, but, as you can see, moreso with the latter. The whole ooh-la-la pink trend is tired if you ask me, and purple is the perfect replacement.
Purple is one of those colors that will last through the year because it can change with and adapt to the seasons. Dark purples express warmth and sophistication for the winter, while brighter purples and lilacs will express a fresh playfulness for the spring and summer.
Desaturated purples such as DAD1E9 and 5E4D80 will rule all others. Get ready to see these duller purples in both the fashion and car world. They’re great for carrying those of us in the Northern hemisphere through the rest of winter, and, mixed with some more vibrant hues, will transition perfectly into the warmer seasons.
The Browns & Naturals
This year, deep browns and natural hues take the place of 2004’s blacks and grays. Online design can often be cold and “techy” as it is, and grays tend to reinforce that feeling, so this year look to browns and beiges to act as the base colors of your design. Throw in an ochre hue and a purple from above, and you’re set.
Like purples, browns and naturals will easily adapt to the changing seasons. Rich, dark browns are great for the colder seasons, while straw hues and brighter yellows will complement the warm months.
The great thing about this palette is that, like blacks and grays, it goes great with any color: colder hues such as blue and green, or warm reds and oranges. (If you’ve been paying attention, though, you’ll know to match it up with purple.)
A few words of warning: don’t let this palette steer you towards more natural designs; that’s not the point. Instead, mix it with vibrant hues to create a warm, contemporary look for 2005.
The Desaturateds
This palette consists of colors that have been… well, desaturated. These washed out hues are relaxed and warmer than their more vibrant brothers and sisters. For that reason, they’re great for the winter and fall seasons, but perhaps not so fitting for the warmer months. Therefore, these colors might disappear for a while, but reemerge later in the year.
This palette is partly based on the muted metallic fabrics that are popular in fashion right now, such as Gap’s sparkly scarves and Banana Republic’s metallic thread coats and skirts.
Make sure not to be overly vintage with this palette, which would be an easy thing to do seeing as these colors look very aged. Luckily, it’s easily avoidable by utilizing the other colors in this forecast.
The Trippy Tints
The previous palettes have more or less represented the toned down, more natural approach that is likely to be seen in 2005. Come June or July, though, people will grow sick of the whole thing and throw it out the window, instead looking towards these trippy tints for some rebellious fun.
These out-there colors won’t come alone, or even in pairs… they’ll be seen in packs. Designers, desperately searching for something fresh and new, will go balls out, applying this palette to tripped out patterns of stripes, polka dots, and plaids to create looks similar to those seen on the streets of Tokyo. I picture a sort of grunge-goes-neon theme, with shock value being a top priority among designers: who can pull off the most off-the-wall design without scaring their audience away? And don’t be surprised if black resurfaces for at least a couple months, as I see it being quite essential to making this palette work.
If right now you’re scared and asking yourself what the hell am I thinking, don’t fret: this palette is meant to be fun and freeing, like a release from the traditional rules of design. Instead of a pirate draped in red, white and black, picture one tripped out and draped in neon purple, yellow, and and yellow-green. With this palette, everything becomes a little less ordinary.
Color Forecast: Colors Galore in 2004
A brand new year is only a week away, and with it three hundred and sixty-five days worth of evolution in design. Sure, when the clock strikes midnight to announce January 1, 2004, everyone isn’t just going to morph and start designing differently than they did the day before, but the embarkment into a new year definitely symbolizes a step forward into an untraveled world where new styles and trends are going to be born (or, in many cases, reborn).
This past year has whipped through such trends as the dark, and oftentimes depressing, gothic look, the sleek and vibrant “mod” look, and even some throwbacks to the earth-toned ’70s and the fluorescent ’80s. After an acid-trip like that, designers are very likely going to be searching for repose in more laid-back design trends. This leads me to my color forecast for 2004: calming neutrals, peaceful blues and greens, stable dark shades, and a few vibrant hues to add life.
The Neutrals
This palette is the perfect break from the hectic go-go-go attitude of 2003. Gazing at them makes you want to just sit down and breathe for a moment. Nearly every color here is simply a pale gray with a small touch of a soft hue. The result? A color scheme that you could do yoga to!
The Blues and Greens
Blues, greens, and aquas will be a big hit in 2004 because they’re tranquil, but still very fun and enlivening. This palette is very much a reminder of the sea, and who wouldn’t like to relax on the sandy seashore? These clear, airy hues are nicely complemented by exquisite reds, oranges, or other such colors that you can find in the “vibrance” palette below.
The Deep Shades
2003 was a shaky and often unsettling year, so in 2004 it’s time for some stability. Enter black, charcoal gray, and the other shades that make up this palette. They are just what the “neutral” tones need: some confidence. Just don’t overdo it. You want to strengthen your design, not make it gloomy.
The Vibrance
2004 might be a slower-paced year, but people are still looking to have some fun! Use these hues to add accent in just the right places. This palette will keep your designs from becoming overly melodrmatic.
Get the Look Chic Simplicity
Chic simplicity. What exactly is “chic simplicity,” you ask? It is somewhat of an oxymoron: simple yet sophisticated. The design exudes simplicity through its forms, fonts, and layout, and sophistication through its textures, details, and tastefulness. It’s a fantastic “look” that can be used for almost every genre of websites: a professional, yet hip, corporate site; a stylish, yet clean, commercial site; or just a fun and colorful personal site. Whichever style you’re going for, this “look” will fit.
Download the Guides
Download Chic Simplicity Part 1 / Colors and Fonts / 47 kb
Download Chic Simplicity Part 2 / Techniques and Wrap-up / 113 kb
Colors
Colors that will give you the “chic simplicity” look are usually very bright, lively, and fun. To tone down the high values, meaning high brightness, of the colors, use tints and shades of gray, especially a dark gray to anchor the design and a light gray to give the design a clean and airy feeling. The grays will suit the vivid colors perfectly. Think of this principle in terms of an outfit. If you are going to wear an orange shirt, you want to wear a pair of dark pants to complement the brightness of the shirt.
Now it’s time to decide on a color scheme. Here’s the equation that will give you a perfect color combination every time:
dark gray
+ light gray
+ color #1
+ color #2: tint or shade of color #1
+ color #3: complementary color of color #1
= the perfect color scheme!
Therefore, going by the numbered “Colors to Consider” in the guide, combining colors one, two, five, six, and eight will give you the chic and simple look that you’re aiming for. I’m telling you, this will work every time! Just use the colors in the guide to help you.
Fonts
When trying to obtain chic simplicity, you obviously want to keep things clean and simple. So, when choosing a font it is usually good to shy away from serif fonts. Serifs are very decorative and normally will not reflect the look that we’re trying to achieve, therefore I have chosen sans-serif fonts such as Century Gothic, Futura, and Gill Sans. They’re all very slick, clean, and stylish.
Well, now that you know the rule, we can go ahead break it. You’ll notice that there are a couple serif fonts in the list, namely Apple Garamond and Gloucester. Although they have serifs, they exude a certain tailored look that works well with the chic and simple look we are going for.
Another rule of thumb I discovered is that condensed fonts will usually be better at helping you achieve this look than their normal (i.e. not condensed) counterparts. When you condense a font, it’s almost like it loses weight, resulting in an overall sleeker look.
Techniques
1. Simple, Sectioned, Block Layouts
A great way to lay out your page is to use color. Now that you have chosen a color scheme, simply use those colors to section off blocks of content, and note what content will go in each block. Some basic sections to think about are the background, top or side navigation bars, a header, and the main content area, where white usually works best. Doing this will make it easier to come up with a final layout and will guarantee a clean result.
2. One Crisp, Large, Central Photograph
Using one, large photograph is the perfect way to add a punch of color to your webpage. Choose vibrant photographs that work well with your color scheme by having either similar hues or complementary hues.
If you are having trouble finding a photograph that works well with your design, ask yourself the following questions: What color from my color scheme do I want my photograph to represent? What is something, anything, that is that color? So, say your answer to the first question was red. Then, your answer to the second question might be strawberries, raspberries, or big red balloons. Now you know exactly what to look for. When using this method, close-ups and extreme close-ups (macros) are great, such as the example photograph of a basket of raspberries, because you can concentrate on one or two colors and they will give your design texture and vibrance.
3. Simple, Readable Navigation
We’re going for chic simplicity, so simple navigation is the way to go. It is extremely usable, very clean, and allows for an easy change if you ever find yourself wanting to redesign. Check out Dan Cederholm’s CSS tabs, CSS mini-tabs, and CSS mini-tab shapes for more!
4. Transparency and Layers
Overlapping objects that have been made slightly transparent is an easy way to add color and texture to your site. First, draw a shape, fill it with a color from your color scheme, and change its opacity, which is usually possible in some sort of “Layers” window, to somewhere around 50%. Repeat this step with a different shape, but the color the opacity should remain the same.
Once you have all of your shapes drawn, overlap them in a fun pattern. Every time two of the objects overlap, their colors will mix and produce a darker shade. The key here is to experiment! Try using different shapes, colors, and opacities.
5. Tight Text, Using Kerning
Sometimes text, especially when using condensed fonts, just looks too spaced out. The solution? Kerning. Found in the “Character” window in Photoshop and in the “Text Editor” window in Fireworks, kerning will often give your text an even cleaner, slicker look. Want proof? Compare the two columns in the guide and you’ll see that the kerned text looks more polished and refined.
6. White Space
White space is something that is very often overlooked when, in fact, it is one of the most important factors in making a good design look even better. White space can be achieved by increasing the leading or line-height, the space between each line of text, and by padding your blocks of content with anywhere from fifteen to two hundred pixels of blank space. Read more about white space in this great article at Design Matters.
7. Pixel Icons
Though very tiny, pixel icons are a fun and noticeable detail that are easy to incorporate and will add some subtle interest. Use them in place of the standard bullet in your lists, or place one at the end of each section of content, like magazines do at the end of each article.
8. All Lowercase or All Uppercase Text
Changing the case of your text is very easy and adds interest because of the simple fact that it is different than the standard capitalize-first-letter-of-each-word method. A great way of doing this is to implement CSS by using the text-transform property, with either uppercase or lowercase as the value.
9. Subtle Drop Shadows
Drop shadows have a bad reputation because they are so often misused, but when used subtly and correctly, they add a nice touch to any design. In the first example, a very faint and soft drop shadow is used to make the text pop off the background. In the second example, a faint, yet crisp, drop shadow adds dimension and interest. As always, experiment!
Putting It All Together
By simply combining many of the techniques explained above, I quickly and easily created this example webpage design. Notice how well the vibrant colors work with the calmer grays, and how the different sections of the page are distinguished using colors. The photograph in the header adds a ton of texture while, at the same time, incorporating a vibrant blue, one of the colors from the color scheme. The navigation is simple, yet stylish, making it easy for one to find their way around the site, and the pixel arrows are much cooler than standard bullets. The abundance of white space makes the page look very refined, not cluttered, and will make browsing the content easier for the viewers. And finally, the all lowercase navigation is extremely subtle, but a nice change from capitalization. In the end, we have a webpage that perfectly defines chic simplicity. Enjoy!
Get the Look UltraHip
Sometimes you want your design to be vibrant… to scream. UltraHip is just the look. It’s very sleek and ultra contemporary. Think posh night clubs in Los Angeles, Paris, or New York City: vivid colors set off by charcoal grays, combining to form atmospheres that encourage dancing, partying, and lots of fun. Use this look to bring a personal site or blog to life, or for a hip corporation whose target audience is of a younger age group. Have fun with this one!
Download the Guides
Download UltraHip Part 1 / Colors and Fonts / 39 kb
Download UltraHip Part 2 / Techniques and Wrap-up / 110 kb
Colors
UltraHip colors are a great deal of fun to work with. Both vibrant and alive, they seem to jump out of your screen. Try using colors that you would normally consider “on the edge” – colors that you would normally be too nervous to choose. When deciding on colors, try this: add the word “hot” or “neon” before the general name of a color, then go searching. For example, hot pink, neon green, hot orange, and so on. To avoid having too many fluorescents, choose some hues that have an almost glassy feel, such as a very pale gray with a hint of magenta or aqua.
When putting together a scheme of UltraHip colors, there are two ways to go. The first is to use colors of the same hue. A good thing about this method is that you can use 4 or 5 colors without overdoing it. Why? Because the colors aren’t competing with each other: they’re complementing each other. The lighter hues are balanced by the darker hues, and the brighter hues are balanced by the less saturated hues.
The second method for choosing an UltraHip color scheme is to take colors that you never thought would look good together and put them to use. You’ll be surprised at how “hip” the result will be. Good colors to work with are beige or brown. Both are often seen as unattractive colors that don’t work well with bright colors, but you’ll get a very modern look if you use them with a flashy color: magenta and beige, aqua and brown, bright blue and beige — they all yell HIP!
Fonts
As I was putting together a collection of UltraHip fonts, I began to realize that it was really just a bunch of fonts from different design styles. For example, “Magneto” and “Deftone Stylus” are both very retro fonts, but they are so in a hip way. In short: don’t limit yourself to simple, modern fonts. Vintage styles are beginning to show up all over the place nowadays, and the look has slowly transgressed into “hip.” It’s cool to be old. Also make use of cool script fonts, tiny pixel fonts, and graphical fonts like “Ravie” and “Grotto.”
Techniques
1. Monochromatic Design
I touched on this in the color section, and here’s an example. Notice that I’ve used 4 different hues of a magenta-ish color, but the design doesn’t scream “Four colors, too many!” This is because the different hues each play their own role, and together provide a good balance between light and dark. Try this technique with any UltraHip color, adjusting only the luminosity until you’re happy with the resulting hue. When you’re done, you’ll even have room to throw in a completely new, complementary hue. In this case I migh choose a teal color.
2. Variation in Font Size and Layered Text
This is not only a great technique, but also extremely easy to accomplish. Begin with a phrase – a good example would be your company’s tagline. Take the phrase and split it up into small sections of one or two words. Keep important words by themselves, but combine less meaningful words such as “and” or “the.” To put emphasis on the more important words, make the font size larger, shrink the unimportant words, or make some words smaller and others larger — just experiment!
It also works well to use variations of the same hue, such as a pale teal and a dark blue-green. To finish, put the words in the correct order, playing around with their positioning until you’re satisfied. This technique is based on contrast — big and small, dark and light. Try overlapping the words and adding some transparency to get a nice layered effect.
3. 1-pixel Border, Slightly Darker than Fill
No explanation needed: just do what it says! It’s a subtle technique, but it will have a noticeable impact on the final design.
4. Use of Color to Distinguish Sections
You’ve just taken the time to decide on an awesome, UltraHip color scheme, and you want to put it to more use than just your logo? Well, don’t be afraid — go for it! Take each color and use it to distinguish a certain section of your page. For example, one color could be the theme of your navigation, another could be the focus of your header, and the last could be used for the news section. Then just throw in a pale gray behind the content and you’re set!
This technique will not only look good — it’ll heighten the usability of your site by allowing visitors to more easily make their way around your page. Note the 1px border coming into play with this technique.
5. Dashed/Dotted Lines and Borders
Is it just me or has this technique showed up quite a bit? Apparently quite a versatile technique, it can easily add yet another modern tinge to your site. With CSS, you’ll have dashed or dotted border in no time.
6. Photographs: Monotone and/or High Contrast
This technique takes only a few seconds in Photoshop, but will leave a powerful impact on the overall look of your site. Just use your favorite graphic program to colorize your photos and increase the contrast. With this technique, you can make almost any image appear to be cutting-edge. Don’t forget your color scheme when colorizing the photo! It’s a great way to catch a visitor’s interest, without adding hundreds of new colors to your precious combination of hues.
7. Simple Logo – Less is more!
One of the biggest mistakes in logo design is to make things too complicated. Keep – it – simple! Less is very often more, especially when trying to achieve the UltraHip look. Again, try using variations of the same hue to maintain a minimalistic look. Pixel fonts are a great way to add texture or a small message. In the “AP Records” logo I created, I used just one hue and simple effects to create a logo with a bold message — music!
Putting It All Together
Here I created a sample webpage using only the colors, fonts, and techniques mentioned above. Notice how easy it is to distinguish each section from the others, making it very easy to find your way around. The 1-pixel, slightly darker borders are subtle, but they scream UltraHip. A number of different colors come together here, yet they’re not overpowering — balance is key. Take a look at the custom buttons. By using a lighter hue of the original color on which the buttons appear, they pop without taking over the section. By combining a number of simple techniques with a few tips on color, we’ve achieved one very hip design!
Get the Look Corporate
OK, get out the big guns: you want to design a professional, corporate, expensive look. This graphics template will help you get started.
Download the Guides
Download Corporate Part 1 / Colors and Fonts / 42 kb
Download Corporate Part 2 / Techniques and Wrap-up / 75 kb
Colors
Corporate colors are bold and bright, but not so bright that they’re fluorescent or hard on the eyes. Almost any color can be made to look professional simply by decreasing the luminosity (the lightness or darkness in the color).
Use bold colors like red, blue, and green to imply that your company is strong and stable. Tans and beiges will reflect the professional aspect of your company. By mixing subtle colors with bold colors you’ll get the best of both worlds.
Fonts
As you can see, corporate fonts are very simple, and almost elegant. Both serif and sans-serif fonts will work, although sans-serif fonts will give your site a contemporary touch. Stay away from gaudy, decorative fonts — I know it’s tempting to use them, but trust me, they almost always look unprofessional, and leave your company looking untrustworthy.
Techniques
1. Tab navigation
Probably one of the most popular looks on corporate sites, this will give your design a professional edge. Experiment with the shapes and colors of the tabs: have them stick out from the top or side of the page. The main idea here is to experiment — there really is an endless number of things you could come up with.
2. Enough white space
Not too much, but not too little — sites that are cluttered appear unprofessional and sometimes tacky. Leaving white space gives your content room to breathe and will make it stand out. This is a case of ‘less is more.’
3. Dotted or dashed lines
This is another extremely popular technique. Dashed lines will make your site unique and stand out. Use them for content division or to outline tables and cells. I simply used text (- – -) to create these dashed lines.
4. A central image that explains the company
Use this as a sort of center-piece that everything will revolve around. Here you can put all your graphic skills to work. Include images that are associated with your company or reflect a positive attitude, a tagline, short and to-the-point reviews, the URL of the site, and the company name. Don’t make the mistake of excluding this essential information. If you do, the image will only act as a distraction from the rest of your site. You want to make this something that the person can recognise and gather basic information from when they first enter the site.
5. Extremely simple logos; nothing gaudy
Corporate logos usually consist of text and basic shapes. These, along with some simple effects, can produce very professional logos. For example, with the ‘teleCommunications’ logo, I used many small effects to produce the final product:
- ‘tech’ is normal and ‘Communications’ is bold
- ‘tech’ is highly kerned
- ‘tech’ is red and ‘Communications’ is black
- the dots of the ‘i’s in ‘Communication’ are red and there is a thin, arched line between the dots.
Here, a basic shape (the arched line) represents something much larger (communication between people and things). Notice that I didn’t use any complicated effects to make this logo: it’s another case of ‘less is more.’
6. Clean and simple navigation
Do you see a pattern forming? Here we have yet another example of ‘less is more.’ Don’t get me wrong, extravagant navigation can look professional, but the beauty here is in the simplicity of it. Use a clean font that looks good at small sizes. Experiment with the bullet shape: circle, square, triangle, cross, diamond. Notice the beauty in the subtleness of the different bullet colors.
7. Navigation across a block of color
Extend the block of color completely across the page, from border to border, but make the text take up a small amount of room, again, leaving breathing space. Play with different bullets for your links. Also, split the block up into smaller boxes on either or both ends. It helps break up the design a bit, and adds a very professional touch.
Putting It All Together
I made an example ‘corporate’ Website using every technique that I mentioned above. Notice how the ‘less is more’ theory comes together to form a very professional looking site. See what you can come up with!
Get the Look Vintage
Want the secrets to the old-fashioned diner, vintage, retro look? Well then, you’ve come to the right spot.
Download the Guides
Download Vintage Part 1 / Colors and Fonts / 42 kb
Download Vintage Part 2 / Techniques and Wrap-up / 122 kb
Colors
Vintage colors are ones that have that ‘really old and worn out’ look to them. Try and imagine an old t-shirt from the early 90’s that you used to wear all the time; pale orange, grayish-blue, green turned yellow-green, etc. Those are the colors that I went towards with this template.
To get a vintage look, try using three similar tones. For example choose a dark, faded green, a faded green-yellow, and a very pale green (that almost looks gray).
Fonts
Vintage/retro fonts are very noticeable. Just close your eyes and picture and old-fashioned diner sign. The best way to explain it is: they look old-fashioned. One thing to look for is small star shapes throughout the font.
Techniques
1. Old-fashioned, vintage photos in duotone
I found this photo at Google’s Image Search, but you can find old photos anywhere. Pick a nice black and white photo, and simply colorize it with your favorite graphics program to get and old look.
2. Old-fashioned sign shapes
I came up with these shapes simply by thinking of old movies and how I picture old diners and gas stations. Come up with your own! Keep in mind the fact that vintage shapes are never symmetrical.
3. Asterisks and stars
These were quite popular elements of design and will help make your webpage scream ‘vintage!’ I simply used the asterisks that came with the vintage fonts I provided here.
4. Small textures: grids, diagonal stripes, cross hatch
This is a very nifty trick that adds a pretty nice touch to the design of your site. Using Fireworks, I simply set the shapes’ fill to white, put a check in ‘Transparent’, chose a texture, set the texture to 100%, and added a 1px white border to help the shapes stand out more. See your favorite tutorial Website for more info on how to do this in other programs.
5. Old-fashioned, vintage borders
Just another simple technique that can give your site that touch of retro. The design that I used simply reminded me of old-fashioned architecture. Be creative!
6. Unaligned, 1px borders
This simple technique was used very often in the ‘old days’. Start by drawing a vintage shape (see technique 2) and making two copies of it. Fill one with a color on the lighter side. Set the other shape to no fill and give it a 1px border of a color on the darker side. Now simply ‘unalign’ the two by a few pixels and you’re done! This technique is actually making its way back into design today.
7. Dotted lines
I’ve seen this technique used while surfing through websites, and I’ve always thought that it was a cool look. See what you can do with it!
8. Thin, outlined shapes (especially over color)
Another vintage effect I obtained by simply making a number of rounded rectangles with 2px white borders (no fill) and layering them.
Putting It All Together
I made an example ‘vintage’ website using every technique that I mentioned above. Notice how the unaligned borders, vintage colors, and old-fashioned design elements come together to create one pretty retro site! See what you can come up with!