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Synthwave describes a visual aesthetic, tied to the music genre of the same name. Synthwave is heavily influenced by the culture of the 1980s, particularly electronic music, films, and video games of the era. Synthwave images will often reference the 2011 movie Drive, and the Hotline Miami series of games.

Sometimes referred to as "retrowave"

Synthwave Elements

• Synthwave emphasizes vibrant, neon and high contrast colour palettes with colours such as orange, magenta, bright pink, purple and cyan against black or dark purple/blue), gradients are also frequently seen.

• Common Synthwave themes and imagery include:
• Scenes that are typically set at night, or sunset/sunrise
• Grid patterns, and vector (wireframe) shapes
• Abstract cityscapes or mountain ranges
• Vehicles, usually 80s sports cars and sports motorcycles
• Palm trees
• "Chrome" text, cursive text
• A sun or moon with horizontal lines cutting through the shape
• VHS overlay/text, static lines or scan lines

Synthwave or Vaporwave?

Synthwave is often confused with Vaporwave, and is frequently mistagged as synthwave is generally more popular in art, but vaporwave has generally better "name recognition". While both are inspired by a similar or at least, close period of history (1980s-1990s), and both feature elements of retro-futurism, cyberpunk, and neon colours, there are many differences between the two genres.

• Synthwave draws much heavier inspiration from 1980s pop culture and technology than Vaporwave
• Synthwave art rarely features any humorous elements or memes like with Vaporwave, which is often ironic or "light-hearted"
• Vaporwave will often include "gratuitous" Japanese text or references to Japanese culture, which is rarely, if ever seen in Synthwave
• Synthwave images in general are vibrant and clear, while Vaporwave images are often pastel and washed out.

See Also

• 1980s
• Neon
• Vaporwave
• Cyberpunk