On the Wall: design aesthetics through the decades

That’s more than any other generation. Millennials are close behind, at 14%. If you look at which decades each generation is most nostalgic about, you'll find that 56% of Gen Z is nostalgic for media from the 2000s. 61% of Millennials love the 90s. 65% of Gen X is into the 80s. 67% of Baby boomers are dreaming about the 70s.

There's a correlation here between nostalgia and when each respondent was likely a child. For example, Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996), built core memories in the 90s. The second most nostalgia-inducing decade (42%) would be the 2000s, probably reflecting the younger end of the Millennial generation who were still in school at this point.

On Facebook, there's a group with over 40 thousand users discussing examples of the “Utopian Scholastic” aesthetic that was pervasive in educational books and software from the 90s.

Companies look out for these stats and pay handsomely for the information supplied by trend forecasters. There are also many people out there who admire and re-create media of the eras and aesthetics they are nostalgic for. On Facebook, there's a group with over 40 thousand users discussing examples of the “Utopian Scholastic” aesthetic that was pervasive in educational books and software from the 90s. Publisher Dorling Kindersley's Eyewitness non-fiction book series is an especially good example of this, for its use of stock photography, bright and spacious graphics, and a celebration of learning.