I’m Kayla, and I make things for a living. Last month, I went full mid-century for my client work. Think bold shapes. Snappy type. A little grit. I didn’t just scroll mood boards. I used real tools, dug through real books, and printed real pieces that had to work in the wild. (I logged the whole process in this day-by-day road-test diary if you want the unfiltered version.)
You know what? The style still sings. But it’s not magic. It’s craft, with a few quirks.
What I used (on my actual desk)
- RetroSupply Co. DupliTone halftone brushes (Photoshop and Procreate)
- True Grit Texture Supply Grain Shader
- Futura PT, Trade Gothic, Clarendon, and Brush Script (for short bits)
- “Thoughts on Design” by Paul Rand; “Saul Bass: A Life in Film & Design”
- A two-color Risograph run at our local print lab
- Pantone chips: a tomato red, a dusty teal, and a mustard
I also kept a small stack of old stuff nearby: a 1957 Coca-Cola ad tear-out, a Herman Miller catalog reprint, and an Olivetti poster print. They kept me honest.
For anyone who wants ready-to-use mid-century assets without scouring thrift stores, the curated bundles at Moon & Back Graphics drop straight into your artboards and keep the vibe authentic.
Real project #1: A diner menu that had to sell pancakes
A pop-up brunch asked for a menu that felt like a roadside diner. My brief said, “Fun, fast, read it in line.”
- Layout: Big blocks with asymmetry. A hero starburst for the “Short Stack.”
- Type: Futura for the parts that must read fast. Brush Script for little treats like “house-made syrup.”
- Color: Two plates—tomato red and teal—to keep costs down and the look clean.
- Texture: Light halftone shading on the borders. Not too gritty. Just a whisper.
The first print looked muddy. Why? I pushed the halftone too dark. I pulled it back, bumped the teal, and let the white paper breathe. After that, folks ordered quicker. The owner said the starburst moved pancakes. That’s the point, right?
Real project #2: A film club poster, Bass-style, but mine
The group screened Hitchcock. I did a poster nodding to Saul Bass without copying.
- Built cut-paper shapes by hand, then scanned them. Sharp edges. No glow.
- Orange and black, plus a small off-white tooth for contrast.
- Trade Gothic Condensed for the title. Tight, tall, a little nervous.
On the wall, it popped. A teen asked if it was new or old. That’s the sweet spot for me. The only snag? The club’s long sponsor line looked cramped, so I set it in Clarendon to hold weight without yelling.
Real project #3: Coffee labels for “Rocket Fuel”
A small roaster wanted a short run label with space-age vibes.
- Icon: Little atom, simple lines, no fuss.
- Shapes: Boomerang panels with soft corners.
- Color: Mustard with black. Cheap to print. Looks warm on kraft stock.
I tried Brush Script for “Rocket,” but the spacing looked odd on “ck.” I fixed it with manual kerning and a tiny baseline shift. Still, I kept it small. Brush Script is like hot sauce—nice in small hits.
What works from the 50s look (and still pays the bills)
- Two-color power: It forces clear choices. The eye knows where to go.
- Big, flat shapes: They read from across the room. (A nod to the International Typographic Style approach.)
- Halftone texture: Adds mood without shouting.
- White space: Let the air do part of the job.
- Iconic thinking: One smart symbol beats ten busy photos.
What bugged me a bit
- Tiny body text breaks fast in these fonts. Keep the small print simple.
- Brush Script needs love. Some letter pairs fight you.
- More than three colors? Print cost jumps, and off-register passes can show. That can look cool, but not for every client.
- Starbursts are tasty. Too many, and you have a fireworks stand. I used one per piece, tops.
Little cultural nods that help
I kept the mood in mind: post-war hope, space dreams, cars with fins, kitchen clocks that look like suns. I glanced at Paul Rand’s IBM work for restraint. I peeked at Giovanni Pintori’s Olivetti posters for smart geometry. (I fell hard for the clean modernist angle—here’s how that approach actually works for me.) I smiled at Cipe Pineles layouts for play and pace. These aren’t just pretty pieces. They teach you where to push—and where to stop.
Want to try this look? Here’s my short starter kit
- Pick two colors. Add one accent if you must.
- Use Futura or Trade Gothic for the core. Bring in Brush Script for little side notes only.
- Add light grit with DupliTone or Grain Shader. Keep it subtle.
- Build one strong icon. An atom, a fork, a star, an arrow. Big and clear.
- Tilt something. A box, a headline, a shape. A small tilt adds life.
- Leave room. Don’t cram every corner.
Where it shines (and where it doesn’t)
- Great for: cafes, barbers, thrift shops, breweries, film nights, gift packaging, event flyers.
- Tough for: legal sheets, medical forms, dense reports, anything that needs lots of tiny type.
One surprise niche? Online personals. The old classified vibe—simple starbursts, bold type, two colors—maps perfectly onto short-form dating ads that need to pop in a scroll. If you want to see the kind of quick-hit messages that could be punched up with a retro layout, drop by JustBang’s casual encounters page where adults post no-strings-attached meet-up ads; browsing it shows exactly how concise headlines and eye-catching design spur faster connections. Likewise, local swinger communities often rely on straightforward, memorable visuals to promote meet-ups; the event board for Lodi swingers illustrates how a lean color scheme, bold type, and punchy copy can spark quick interest and offers plenty of layout ideas you can borrow for your own retro-flavored flyers.
Want something louder? I recently cranked the dial with a glowing palette and wrote about the results in my hands-on neon nostalgia take.
My take, plain and simple
1950s graphic design still works because it respects the reader. It grabs you, then gets out of the way. When I used it, my pieces read faster and felt warm. A few parts took extra care—type spacing, print passes—but the look gave my clients a clear voice.
Would I keep this in my kit? Yes. Four and a half stars out of five. I’ll keep using it for packaging and posters. Maybe not for a tax form, but you knew that.
If you try it, start small. One menu. One poster. See how folks react. And if someone smiles and says, “Hey, that reminds me of my grandma’s kitchen clock,” you’ve nailed it.