The Best 80s Font in Canva: Totally Rad Retro Vibes for Your Designs
- Gregory Thornberry
- Dec 1
- 4 min read
Cowabunga! The 80s are back, dude. Between Stranger Things, the neon wave on TikTok, and everyone suddenly deciding synthwave is the vibe of the decade, the retro look has officially leveled up from “cute throwback” to “righteous design superpower.”
One minute you're browsing Canva like it’s no big deal, and the next—WHAM—you’re sucked into a digital world of neon grids, glowing sunsets, and fonts that look like they were ripped straight off an old VHS tape your parents forgot to rewind.
If you want that “Mind Flayer is coming but the intro still looks cool” Stranger Things energy in your graphics, the font you choose matters. Big time. And luckily, Canva has the perfect 80s-style typeface to make your designs totally gnarly.
As we search for the perfect fonts, let's call this...Operation Bananarama! And no, we aren't Rick Rolling you!
The Best 80s Font in Canva: “Luckiest Guy”
If fonts were characters in an 80s movie, Luckiest Guy would be the cool kid leaning against a red sports car in a denim jacket while synth music plays in the background. It is bold, futuristic, neon-friendly, and instantly recognizable. When you use it, your design basically grabs the viewer by the collar and says, “Welcome to the 80s, pal.” Espcially when you throw a neon effect on the font (chefs kiss!).
It's totally bodacious!
If you’re making videos and want clean, copyright-safe music that actually sounds good, I highly recommend Epidemic Sound. I use it for my content, and it makes editing so much easier.
Luckiest Guy has the exact geometry and glow-ready style that looks incredible in pink, purple, teal, and electric-blue gradients. It’s pure synthwave magic. Throw this font on any thumbnail, poster, or school hype graphic, and it screams retro in the best possible way.
Why 80s Design Is Having a Rad Comeback
Nostalgia is powerful, and the 80s were a visually loud, colorful, and unapologetically fun decade. That energy is contagious, even if you weren’t alive back then. Here’s why everyone is vibing with 80s style again:
Stranger Things kicked the door in like a Demogorgon in a food court. The show nailed the fonts, the colors, the atmosphere, basically the entire vibe of the 80s.
Once that intro hit screens, suddenly everyone needed a neon grid in their life.
Synthwave music brought back the nostalgia for an era that half its listeners didn’t experience. Retro artists and designers built entire visual brands around neon sunsets, chrome lettering, and outrun colors.
TikTok and Instagram edits latched onto the style, and suddenly everyone wanted to make their content look like an old-school arcade game.
Fashion jumped on board with windbreakers, high socks, retro sneakers, and everything-in-bright-colors energy.
The 80s just hit different. Bold. Flashy. Fun. And that translates perfectly into modern design.
Other Canva Fonts That Are Totally Tubular
While Luckiest Guy with a neon effect steals the show, Canva is stacked with a ton of other retro gems.
Hot Rush gives you that neon sign glow, like something you’d see outside an arcade at 10 p.m.
Funkydori is pure 70s-meets-80s Saturday morning cartoon energy.
Stranger Things vibes all the way — this Eleven Funko Pop looks straight out of the Upside Down. Awesome piece for any retro fan.
Affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4pb20Vs
Anton looks like it belongs on an old action movie VHS cover that still has a Blockbuster sticker on it.
Lovelo feels like something from a futuristic mall in 1985, metallic and clean.
Genty is the playful bright bubble-letter cousin of the 80s font family.
All of them are solid choices depending on whether you’re going for “Back to the Future” cool or “Saved By the Bell” colorful.
How to Make Your Designs Look Totally 80s
Choosing the right font is only step one. To make your graphic really scream 80s, layer on some classic retro ingredients.
Use bright neon gradients with pinks, purples, teals, and blues. Add a soft glow behind the text so it looks like a sign outside a roller rink.Drop in a grid background and you’ve officially unlocked synthwave mode.
Throw in some VHS static for that late-night TV feel. Add a polygonal sun behind your text and boom, you’re basically the graphic designer for Miami Vice.
The 80s didn’t do subtle, and neither should your designs.
Where to Use 80s Fonts Today
These fonts are perfect for:
YouTube thumbnails where you want instant energy
Sports hype videos (80s + sports = a match made in heaven)
School event graphics
Retro party flyers
TikTok edits inspired by Stranger ThingsT-shirt designs
Twitch overlaysWebsite section headersLocal business promotions with fun flair
If your brand wants to stand out, the 80s aesthetic is a cheat code.
More Retro Inspiration if You Want to Go Full Nostalgia Mode
How the Stranger Things Title Sequence Was MadeA behind-the-scenes look at how they recreated classic 80s
Synthwave & Outrun Art CommunityA massive hub for neon, gridlines, sunsets, and all things retro-futuristic.https://retrowave.org
Canva’s Typography GuideA helpful introduction to making your text stand out.https://www.canva.com/learn/typography/
80s Graphic Design Inspiration BoardThousands of retro posters and layouts.https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=80s%20graphic%20design
Neon Text Effect TutorialLearn the glow techniques that make 80s fonts pop.https://www.creativebloq.com/how-to/create-a-neon-text-effect
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