Apple, Google, and OpenAI should consider rebranding to these amazing ’80s-style logos

Kostya Petrenko is only 20 years old, but you might assume he’s much older if you look at the products of his design obsession. This Gen Zer, who sees the world in Gen X glasses, started learning graphic design two years ago. During this new adventure, he started to remake modern brands into the coolest retro logos I’ve seen. “I realized my true passion lay in retro design, especially the awesome aesthetic of the 1980s,” Petrenko tells me via email.

The logo 80s remake fever has been going on for a while, but Petrenko’s feels unique in its approach. “The idea to reimagine modern logos in this style came naturally after exploring ’80s graphic design books and watching countless VHS and production logo animations from that era,” he says. “The typography, layout and iconic symbols used back then have a timeless quality that I find fascinating, especially given the technical limitations they worked with 40 years ago.”

For him, the animation style of the era also brings a unique dynamic. “It’s incredible to see how these were brought to life back then,” he adds.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kostya Petrenko (@kxdgraphics)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kostya Petrenko (@kxdgraphics)

After watching so many logos from the ’80s, Petrenjko says that reinterpreting current branding comes naturally to him. “I usually start by creating a few concepts in Illustrator and, as I design, I’m already picturing the animation. Then, I bring it all to life in After Effects,” he says.

Old into new

Refashioning current branding in a vintage style is a graphic design pastime. Turning the new into old romanticizes a past that never was and a future that will never be. Those visual fantasies are fascinating, especially when filtered through the lens of the 1980s—a moment when color and style was unabashedly embraced.

It is refreshing to see, especially after existing in an era where branding has been smoothed, tested, and compacted to the point of being feelingless. Blanding is not over yet, but there’s much needed change coming. I believe we can give some credit to the success of the ’80s pop culture revival and its magnetic visual presence luring Gen Zs into a rabbit hole.

For an old man like me, it’s the strangest thing (pun intended) to see people who didn’t lived during an era getting hooked into this weird nostalgia for something they never experienced. Regardless of their motive, however, Petrenko’s work and the work of many designers and brands that dive deep into this aesthetic, speak volumes about the irresistible visual force and joy of a graphic style that has come to symbolize fun, carelessness, and play.