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Retro · Countdown · 4 × 2 widget

Retro countdown widget

By the WidgetCraft team · Updated November 13, 2026

A retro countdown widget counts the days left until a date you choose. 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 countdown 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 countdown widget shows

A countdown widget keeps one date in view: a trip, a birthday, an exam or a launch. The number of days is the hero, the event name gives it meaning and a bar shows how far along you are.

WidgetCraft's countdown layer works from the phone's clock, so it is free, needs no permission and works offline. You pick the target date in the layer's details.

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.
Bars and rings: Use thick bars in orange and mustard stacked like stripes on a van.

Retro countdown widget recipe

Layer	Settings
Canvas	360 × 180, background #F3E3C3, corner radius 20
Layout	stacked: label, number and event name, left aligned
Text	label "Days until", size 12, color #8A6E55
Countdown	days remaining, Pacifico, size 76, color #3E2A1F
Text	event name, size 20, color #3E2A1F
Progress	a thick 12-point bar with rounded ends, 312 wide, progress #D9622B
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 countdown 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.
Tap Add and choose Countdown. Pick your target date and show days only.
Set the font to Pacifico, the size to 76 and the color to #3E2A1F.
Add a Text label "Days until" at size 12 in #8A6E55, and a second Text layer for the event name at size 20.
Add a Progress layer as a thick 12-point bar with rounded ends in #D9622B to show how much of the wait has passed.
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.

Everything in this recipe works in the free version.

Tips for retro countdown widgets

Use cream instead of white and brown instead of black.
Stack two or three stripes as decoration.
Decide whether today counts; label the number "days left" or "sleeps" so it is not ambiguous.
Short event names fit best. Two or three words is ideal.
After the date passes, change the target or the widget will sit at zero.
Do not use cool blues or greys.
Do not use thin modern type.

Questions about the retro countdown widget

What size is a retro countdown 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?

Yes. Countdown widgets use free features in WidgetCraft, and the retro styling is free too.

What else is this style called?

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

More retro widgets

Countdown widgets in other styles