{"id":52211,"date":"2019-06-24T09:54:13","date_gmt":"2019-06-24T16:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/creativemarket.com\/blog\/?p=52211"},"modified":"2024-04-18T05:35:02","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T12:35:02","slug":"design-trend-steampunk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/creativemarket.com\/blog\/design-trend-steampunk","title":{"rendered":"Design Trend Report: Steampunk Design"},"content":{"rendered":"Steampunk design

has its roots in science fiction. Its imaginative, retro<\/a>-meets-the-future approach has given birth to a unique aesthetic that you won’t soon forget. Instantly recognizable, steampunk relies heavily on the marriage of history and steam-powered machinery to create a slick look and feel in anything it touches.\nA highly interesting feature of steampunk design is that is settings are frequently in the British Victorian era of the 19th<\/sup> century or the Wild West of Frontier America, circa the 18th<\/sup> and 19th<\/sup> centuries. Of course, where this design movement starkly diverges from history is in its vivid conceptualization and exaggeration of technology in these historical settings.\nThis almost paradoxical relationship is what gives this movement such a visually dazzling aesthetic that’s at once classic and futuristic<\/a> (for its time).\nBrace yourself for a deep look at what makes steampunk design so creative.\n<\/p>

<\/span>The History of Steampunk Design<\/span><\/h2>

\nWhen we talk about the origins of this movement, we’d be lax to skip over the science-fiction works of famous authors like Jules Verne, Mary Shelley, and H.G. Wells. Many of their novels were based in the 19th<\/sup> century, which is the usual setting for stories in this genre. Their sweeping and ambitious works of science fiction were filled with over-the-top scientific speculation, the perfect breeding ground for steampunk design to eventually come into its own.\nThe term itself is curious because it’s a derivative of cyberpunk, which is an offshoot of science fiction that centers on the relationship between high tech and the dregs of society, especially when couched in an environment of aggressive social change and scientific achievements, happening at the same time. The actual word, “steampunk,†was introduced fairly recently (in the late 1980s), but, as a unique design language all to its own, it was already understood for decades. We have science-fiction and horror writer K.W. Jeter—who also wrote Star Wars and Star Trek novels—to thank for coining this term.\nNow that we have the etymological origin out of the way, we want to find out where this movement’s extremely captivating visuals had their start.\nLooking through the media of the 20th<\/sup> century, it was Disney’s 1954 classic, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea<\/em>, that was one of the first, visual depictions of this style on a grand scale. The movie tells the story of an expedition on the hunt for a sea monster, only to discover that the monster is really a submarine controlled by the anti-hero, Captain Nemo. In particular, it’s Nemo’s submarine, the Nautilus, that boasts interesting steampunk design.\nTo help you visualize this aesthetic even better, here are some standout steampunk examples from our library of digital assets:

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<\/figure>\n \nOf course, since we’re talking steampunk here, it’s not surprising that this movie is based on Verne’s 1870 novel of the same name, and we’ve already established how his works have been an influence for and precursor to this genre.\nBesides 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea<\/em>, another early picture that boasted visuals in this style was the 1960 film The Time Machine<\/em>, an MGM movie that was based on the H.G. Wells book of the same name. Here, it is the time machine itself that displays the design traits of this aesthetic. Wells’ book was another one of the precursors of this style, when it was written back in the late 19th<\/sup> century.\nIn 1990, the seminal book, The Difference Engine<\/em>, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling was published. Recognized as exposing people to this aesthetic on a large scale, it featured the classic steampunk recipe, where its protagonists’ steam-powered, mechanical computer (technology) finds itself in an alternative Victorian time. What was noteworthy about this steampunk novel was its distinctly dystopian outlook, whereas most literature in this genre actually has a more optimistic tone.\n\"\"\n<\/p>
Image Credit: Wikipedia<\/a><\/h6>

\nTheme parks also did their fair share of helping to popularize this style, with both Disney and Six Flags doing their part. Disney’s Tokyo DisneySea theme park features a “Mysterious Island†section where this aesthetic is prominent; likewise, Six Flags’ Magic Mountain theme park featured a “Steampunk District.â€\nOver the years, media and entertainment weren’t the only industries where you could see this movement. Owing to its increasing popularity, the Paris Metro’s Arts et Metiers station was done up in steampunk sensibilities back in 1994 to commemorate the contributions of Verne, a native of Nantes. The station features the following design traits:\n<\/p>