How to Make Cool Retro Quote Posters with ChatGPT
Retro posters are everywhere right now — on Instagram, Pinterest, even coffee shop walls. That old-school look just works.
I’ve been testing out ways to make them using ChatGPT, and honestly, the results are amazing. The AI really understands retro fonts, colors, and overall vibes.
You’ve got two great options:
chatgpt.com → Clean interface, solid image results.
copilot.microsoft.com → Same tech under the hood, but with more free image generations.
Both work great, so you can switch between them depending on what you need.
The Secret Sauce: A Template Prompt
Here’s the exact prompt I use. You just need to swap in your own quote, subject, background, and colors:
Create a single, focused, retro-inspired quote poster with a 2:3 aspect ratio. The design should feature the quote “[Your Quote Here]”. The central visual element is an illustration of [Main Subject of Illustration]. The typography must be bold, hand-drawn, and psychedelic, artfully integrated to become a core part of the illustration itself (for example, the words could form the shape of the subject, fill its silhouette, or follow its contours). This entire composition of the subject and text should stand out against a solid, lightly-textured background of [Background Color].
Breaking It Down
“2:3 aspect ratio” → This is poster-perfect. Not too tall, not too wide. Works for both printing and posting online.
“single, focused, retro-inspired quote poster” → Keeps things simple with one main subject instead of a messy design.
“bold, hand-drawn, psychedelic typography” → Think 70s-style lettering — curvy, fun, full of personality.
“artfully integrated” → The text isn’t just on top of the picture. It becomes part of it — wrapping around, filling shapes, or flowing with the subject.
“solid, lightly-textured background” → Clean but with a subtle vintage texture so it doesn’t feel flat.
“vibrant, vintage combination of 3–4 colors” → Limited color palette = retro authenticity. Too many colors feels modern.
The color palette for the illustration should be a vibrant, vintage combination of [Three to Four Colors].
Sample Prompt: Skull Theme
Create a single, retro-inspired poster with a 2:3 aspect ratio. The design should feature the quote “No Fear”. The central visual element is an illustration of a flaming skull. The typography must be bold, hand-drawn, and psychedelic, woven into the fire and skull design so the words feel carved into the illustration. The entire composition should stand out against a solid, lightly-textured background of dark maroon. The color palette should be a vibrant, vintage combination of crimson red, cream, black, and gold yellow.
