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Retro · Date · 2 × 2 widget

Retro date widget

By the WidgetCraft team · Updated November 13, 2026

A retro date widget shows the weekday, a large day number and the month. 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 date 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 date widget shows

A date widget is the calm alternative to a clock: one large number for the day, with the weekday above and the month below. It suits small 2 × 2 spaces and pairs well with a clock elsewhere on the screen.

It uses the phone's date, so it is free, works offline and needs no permission. WidgetCraft's Date layer takes a pattern, so each line can show a different part of the date.

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.
Text: Use a chunky rounded face or a script for the title and plain sans for details.

Retro date widget recipe

Layer	Settings
Canvas	200 × 200, background #F3E3C3, corner radius 20
Date	weekday (pattern EEEE), size 15, color #D9622B, centered
Date	day number (pattern d), Pacifico, weight 700, size 92, color #3E2A1F
Date	month (pattern MMMM), size 15, color #8A6E55
Font	Pacifico (import the font file), or the built-in Sans
Home screen size	2 × 2 cells

Retro color palette

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

How to make a retro date widget in WidgetCraft

Create a widget and open Canvas. Set the size to 200 × 200, the background to #F3E3C3 and the corner radius to 20.
Tap Add and choose Date. Set the pattern to the full weekday (EEEE), the size to 15 and the color to #D9622B.
Add a second Date layer with the day number (pattern d) at size 92 in #3E2A1F, using Pacifico.
Add a third Date layer with the full month (MMMM) at size 15 in #8A6E55.
Center all three layers on the canvas.
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 date widgets

Use cream instead of white and brown instead of black.
Stack two or three stripes as decoration.
Make the day number at least twice the size of the other lines.
Write the month in full if there is room; short forms such as "Nov" look cramped in serif fonts.
Pair it with a clock widget in the same font rather than squeezing the time into the same 2 × 2 space.
Do not use cool blues or greys.
Do not use thin modern type.

Questions about the retro date widget

What size is a retro date widget?

It is designed for 2 × 2 home screen cells on a 200 × 200 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. Date widgets use free features in WidgetCraft, and the retro styling is free too.

What else is this style called?

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

More retro widgets

Date widgets in other styles