PMG Digital Made for Humans

What's So Great About Vintage?

4 MINUTE READ | November 16, 2012

What's So Great About Vintage?

Author's headshot

PMG

PMG is a global independent digital company that seeks to inspire people and brands that anything is possible. Driven by shared success, PMG uses business strategy and transformation, creative, media, and insights, along with our proprietary marketing intelligence platform Alli, to deliver Digital Made for Humans™. With offices in New York, London, Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, Atlanta, and Cleveland, our team is made up of over 900+ employees globally, and our work for brands like Apple, Nike, Best Western Hotels & Resorts, Gap Inc., Kohler, Momentive, Sephora, and Shake Shack has received top industry recognitions including Cannes Lions and Adweek Media Plan of the Year.

Vintage is in…really in. Your parents’ and grandparents’ closets and junk drawers have become the coolest places to shop. But in a society racing to the future, it just seems paradoxical that there is such a preoccupation with the past. Ever wonder why vintage is so darn charming?

Let’s break it down:

ColorThe key to vintage color schemes is warmth. Very rarely do you find sharp, intense colors in vintage packaging. Even in the age of state-of-the-art photography, there is Instagram (or other similar apps), which puts your images through various filters, blocking out harsh lighting, muting over-bright colors, accentuating undertones. The colors of yesteryear seem to be more connected with Nature, itself. There isn’t any over-saturation of pigments; there are pastels, earth tones, and jewel tones, all of which can be found outside, in the sky, in fields, and in gardens.

TypeVintage typefaces are truly beautiful to behold. My theory on this is that designers of the past were just as much, if not more so, concerned with the design of their typeface as they were with the product, itself. They are works of art all on their own. Designers were not afraid to mix and match types and weights; scripts got just as much action as serifs. Font was the representative of the product, and oftentimes font is the first thing that the consumer associates with it. Take Coca-Cola, for instance. Even before you think of the fizzy, brown liquid (Let’s face it: Coke isn’t the most appetizing-looking thing out there. If I were a Martian, I’d be skeptical of drinking a glass of the brown bubbly stuff), you think of its red and white curlicues. Products of the past didn’t use font simply as a mode of communication; it was part of the experience of using the product.

FocusModern marketing has lost its imagination. In fact, I’d venture to say that it has lost faith in the average consumer’s intelligence…and understandably so. Packages from the golden years told you, in text, what you were buying, because they were just plain smarter than we are. You had to actually read it the box. Education has changed considerably in many different ways, but behind the world of education between 1900-1950, there was always a war or a depression looming. Many people nowadays don’t read simply because they don’t want to. The laziness of the 21st century manifests in its advertisements and packaging: we can’t be bothered to even read a few lines. After all, If I want coffee, there’d better be a cup of it on the front! How else am I supposed to figure this out?!  On other packaging, there are entire scenes, where the product is simply implied, or makes a very small appearance. The design focus in vintage packaging isn’t on the obvious- doesn’t it feel good not to read a picture book everywhere you go?

Stay in touch

Bringing news to you

Subscribe to our newsletter

By clicking and subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

EconomicsSomebody once said, “It’s all about the money.” A whole lot of people have said that, actually. (That’s how we know it’s true.) The depressing fact is that the US Piggybank isn’t as full as it once was. The vast majority of working people out there are being more careful with their dimes and nickels than they ever had to be before. Our parents and grandparents remember times of widespread poverty; they also remember times of widespread prosperity. They remember times of simplicity, when there weren’t so many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak. Vintage reminds us of those simpler times, and it is comforting to know that there are still remnants of the glory days out there just waiting to be found.


Related Content

thumbnail image

Campaigns & Client WorkSocial MediaProgrammatic AdvertisingCreative DesignStreaming & VideoStrategyDigital MarketingCompany News

PMG Partners with Old Navy to Create a Fully Inclusive Shopping Experience with BODEQUALITY

4 MINUTES READ | August 20, 2021

thumbnail image

Campaigns & Client WorkCreative DesignStreaming & VideoPlatforms & MediaDigital Marketing

The Most Memorable Ads of Super Bowl LV

4 MINUTES READ | February 8, 2021

thumbnail image

Consumer TrendsStreaming & VideoData & TechnologyStrategyPlatforms & MediaDigital Marketing

Preparing for Streaming’s Growth & The Future of TV Buying

7 MINUTES READ | December 11, 2020

thumbnail image

PMG CultureCampaigns & Client WorkCompany News

PMG Boosts Brand Creative and Expands Creative Studio

3 MINUTES READ | November 24, 2020

thumbnail image

Campaigns & Client WorkCreative DesignCompany NewsDigital Marketing

Athleta Honors Women Everywhere in New Post-Election Ad Campaign

2 MINUTES READ | November 10, 2020

thumbnail image

Why You Should Tap TikTok Influencers Now

4 MINUTES READ | July 29, 2020

thumbnail image

Will UGC Be the Norm in a PostCOVID World?

6 MINUTES READ | June 26, 2020

thumbnail image

Staying True to Your Brand During a Crisis

7 MINUTES READ | June 16, 2020

thumbnail image

COVID-19 Crisis: A Pop Culture Break

3 MINUTES READ | March 31, 2020

thumbnail image

Navigating Ad Messaging During COVID-19

6 MINUTES READ | March 30, 2020

ALL POSTS