“Nostalgia is designing with neon-tinted glasses”

There’s nothing more ageing than realising that me liking the 1960s in the 1990s, is the mirror of youth liking the 1990s in the 2020s. How the hell did that happen?

It got me thinking about nostalgia. In our fast-moving times, it’s become a hot topic of political and cultural debate. Political commentators say it’s an obstacle to progress (see Make America Great Again). But psychologists champion nostalgia’s positive benefits for human wellbeing and growth.

If the experts are right – and they usually are – there are big benefits for brands using design to trigger nostalgia. But it’s a slippery word that needs unpacking.

Firstly, nostalgia is different from retro. Retro is a straight-up repeat of the past. Nostalgia is complicated. It’s the feeling triggered by a reminder of the past in the present. Retro sparks recognition. Whereas nostalgia can delve deeper into our subconscious memories – it’s emotional, intense and moving.

Secondly, psychologists say nostalgia has positive effects on our mindset and behaviour. It fosters a sense of youthfulness, boosts inspiration and encourages financial risk taking. Presumably that includes buying stuff…

Nostalgia feels especially good in the modern world. Screens can make life feel blurry and fragmented. Memories are harder to lay down. The speed of change makes us seek out possessions and experiences that last longer and have more substance. Nostalgia’s triggering of long-held memories is welcome medicine.

But brands have to be conscious of hindsight. Once positive cultural codes can turn negative overnight. Still, there are many examples to learn from.

The relaunched Fiat 500 is a personal favourite. Car design and brand identity trigger memories of the golden age of post-war Italian design – from when the original model launched in 1957, to the 1980s, when the United Colours Of Benetton dominated the high street.

Italian designers like Alessi exported a bold, colourful bella vita that made Northern European brands look dull and functional. The relaunch reminded us of a time when youth was driving life forwards – a car to make you smile, whether you’re behind the wheel, or walking past.

Bleach London is a more recent example. The hair dye brand triggers nostalgia for late 90s and Y2K. Its identity design includes gnarly tones, hyper-coloured iconography, raw and honest photography, and an extrovert tone-of-voice – “Go darker, go lighter, go brighter.”

It loudly echoes Cool Britannia London, when fashion, art, music and hedonism were uncompromising and unapologetic.

Importantly, neither of these brands are targeted at people old enough to remember the era they’re mirroring. But they’re aware of the era’s codes, its influence on the present, and the lifestyles of the time.

So what’s the role of design in triggering nostalgia? If retro is repeating the past, nostalgia’s dialling it up to 11. Design needs to go for the emotional jugular. It’s taking the cues and amplifying them to the point of caricature and cliché. It’s less in the detail, more in big brushstrokes. It’s seeing the past with neon-tinted glasses.

Above all it’s fun. Nostalgia-driven brands have charisma. Because they mine a whole era, their identities are rich, varied and unlimited. Anything goes, as long as it’s true to the time.

Bloom has been following this strategy for KP’s heritage portfolio – brands like Nik Naks, Space Raiders, Discos and Wheat Crunchies. For Discos we brought the past into the present by putting a modern spin on disco.

Today’s clubs and festivals are starting earlier in the day because people enjoy partying in daylight. This inspired the design idea of Daytime Disco, with a disco ball at its heart but with added vibrant daytime colours.

Its tone is deliberately tacky, non-foodie and young-at-heart, in keeping with the zingy flavours and the everyone-on-the-dancefloor brand personality.

The internet and AI are combining to create a living hive memory for humankind. The recent past will be harder to forget, and easier to record and access.

So nostalgic feelings will be experienced by more people, more often. We expect to see more brands using it to their advantage.

Ed Hayes is Chief Strategy Officer at Bloom London.