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Retro · Calendar · 4 × 2 widget

Retro calendar widget

By the WidgetCraft team · Updated November 13, 2026

A retro calendar widget shows today's date beside your next event. Warm 1970s color: mustard, rust and brown with rounded type. This page gives the exact colors, type settings and layers, with a preview drawn from the same values.

Retro calendar widget design preview: Warm 1970s color: mustard, rust and brown with rounded type. — Design preview drawn from the recipe below. Example values are shown; your widget uses live data.

What a retro calendar widget shows

A calendar widget answers two questions: what day is it, and what is next. The date sits in a bold block on the left and the next event takes the right side.

The date works with no permission. Showing events needs Android's calendar permission and a calendar connection, which is a Pro feature in WidgetCraft. Without it you can still build the date block on its own for free.

How the retro style shapes it

Retro widgets use the palette of 1970s posters and record sleeves: mustard, burnt orange, brown and cream, with curved stripes and chunky rounded lettering.

Numbers: Set numbers thick and brown, with an orange stripe underneath.
Lists: Mark rows with small orange circles and keep text in chocolate brown.

Retro calendar widget recipe

Layer	Settings
Canvas	360 × 180, background #F3E3C3, corner radius 20
Shape	date block 104 × 124, radius 20, fill #D9622B
Date	weekday (size 13) and day number (size 58) centered on the block, color #FFFFFF
Text	label "Next", size 11, color #8A6E55
List or Text	next event title, Pacifico, size 19, color #3E2A1F; time at size 14 in #8A6E55
Shape	divider 1.5 pt in #8A6E55 at 40% opacity
Ornament	three vertical stripes down the right edge in burnt orange, mustard and chocolate
Font	Pacifico (import the font file), or the built-in Sans
Home screen size	4 × 2 cells

Retro color palette

Cream #F3E3C3Background
Sand #E8CF9FSurface and tracks
Chocolate #3E2A1FText
Walnut #8A6E55Labels
Burnt orange #D9622BAccent

How to make a retro calendar widget in WidgetCraft

Create a widget and open Canvas. Set the size to 360 × 180, the background to #F3E3C3 and the corner radius to 20.
Add a Shape on the left, 104 × 124 with radius 20, filled with #D9622B.
Add two Date layers over it: the short weekday at size 13 and the day number at size 58, both in #FFFFFF.
Add a Text label "Next" at size 11 in #8A6E55.
Add a List layer, open Data and choose your calendar. Set the title to size 19 in #3E2A1F and the time to size 14 in #8A6E55.
Add the retro ornament with Shape layers and move them below the other layers in Layers: three vertical stripes down the right edge in burnt orange, mustard and chocolate.
Tap Save, then Add to home screen and resize the widget on your launcher if needed.

The layout and styling are free. The live data connection for this widget needs WidgetCraft Pro, a one-time purchase.

Tips for retro calendar widgets

Use cream instead of white and brown instead of black.
Stack two or three stripes as decoration.
Event titles vary in length, so give the title a single line and let it truncate.
Show one or two events at most in a 4 × 2 widget.
If no events appear, check that the calendar you chose is the one your events are saved in.
Do not use cool blues or greys.
Do not use thin modern type.

Questions about the retro calendar widget

What size is a retro calendar widget?

It is designed for 4 × 2 home screen cells on a 360 × 180 canvas. You can resize it on the launcher and the design scales in proportion.

Which colors does it use?

Cream (#F3E3C3) for the background, Chocolate (#3E2A1F) for the main text, Walnut (#8A6E55) for labels and Burnt orange (#D9622B) as the accent.

Is it free to make?

The retro design is free to build. Showing live events needs the one-time Pro upgrade.

What else is this style called?

People also search for vintage calendar widget, 70s calendar widget, retro aesthetic calendar widget. They describe the same look as this retro calendar widget.

More retro widgets

Calendar widgets in other styles