Why the Retro feel?

Recently, we had a chance to work on a very specific project. The major drawback of fal was the absence of visual elements to work with, since it is a developer tool that basically runs in code only. So our goal was to market it as a tool for developers but still maintain a professional and entertaining vibe. With no product visuals to utilize, we had to find alternative methods to make it visually appealing, such as selecting appropriate typography...

Typography

During the initial stage of exploration, I stumbled upon the pixelated font, xe Dogma. I instantly realized that this font could serve as the foundation of the visual style. However, upon closer inspection, I found the individual characters to be unsatisfactory, especially at smaller sizes. Fortunately, we discovered superior alternatives from Pangram Pangram Foundry and finally opted for PP Mondwest as the primary typeface.

Visual Elements

Recently, I sharpened my Photoshop skills and felt ready to put them to the test on a real project. Keep in mind, there were no visuals of the product available. By the way, these are just miniature versions for the homepage. Stay tuned for more updates.

My moodboard was loaded with pixel art, and I incorporated some of it in the section transitions. However, I refrained from using it excessively as it became overwhelming.

And of course, some pixelated icons and glyphs. Finally, I decided to choose high contrast old photos of people interacting with these giant computers as the ideal imagery for blog posts.

Full Homepage Preview

Alright! I hope this walkthrough was to your liking, but here's the kicker: the client went in a different direction. If you've made it this far and are feeling as disappointed as I am, hit the like button or add a crying emoji in the comments. Haha, cheers! J.