ICM - Leeds Design Agency

Why do we have an obsession with the past? Fashion of the past comes back into style, past television programmes make a re-appearance on our television screens, old bands have reformed, I could go on.

Nostalgia can be a good thing but do we want things in our modern day worlds that are just recreations of the past or do we want to see new exciting things? It is nice to reminisce about the past but that is where some things should be left – the past.

Shooting Stars has recently returned to our television screens after an absence of seven years. Watching the recent episodes brings back a smile to my face with the irrelevant catchphrases and the random things they do, but then I think they should have left it alone. It seemed much funnier when it was first broadcast and the whole concept along with Reeves and Mortimer seems a little bit aged. Recent television programmes such as Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes give us an insight into life in the 1970’s and 1980’s, which is nice for my generation who do not really know anything about these years but for the people that grew up in them, do they want to be reminded of the past?

Walkers Monster Munch have recently changed their packaging and gone back to the packet designs that they first used in 1977. I admit that the designs do not look dated but why have they decided to go back to the original, was it because they could not come up with any new ideas and they just decided that the original was the best or was it to target an older audience who remember the original packs as well?

The latest England shirt is a celebration of English footballs past but also a looks the future, the shirt may look retro in its style but it is made with modern fabric and technologies allowing it to perform better. Umbro are using the look of the past still keeping it up to date with the modern fabric.

Fashion is something that uses past styles as inspirations for new looks, nearly every time you pick up a magazine you see that the 80s punk look is back in fashion or the 70’s disco style is the trend to wear this week. Fashion seems to go around full circle and different era’s keep coming back every season, even if it is only 1 key item from that era. These looks can be pulled off but we cannot just keep looking back for our inspiration we also need to look forward.

Nostalgia and retro things can be cool but we need to get the mix of old and new right and not just recycle old packaging or television shows. We should use the past as a starting block to develop into something that in years to come people will be proud to look back at.

In my next blog post I will look at how music and music videos use the past and nostalgia.