Make original BO2 retro emblems with arcade cabinets, cassette tapes, pixel faces, and simple 1980s-inspired color blocks.
8 minute BO2 tutorial - Updated July 2026
Use one nostalgic object
An arcade cabinet, cassette tape, pixel face, or simple control panel gives the viewer an immediate retro cue. Avoid combining several objects unless one remains clearly dominant.
A large rectangular body and two or three high-contrast controls are usually enough to make the object readable.
Keep pixels deliberate
Pixel-inspired design uses stepped edges, blocks, and repeated square details. It should still be clean at thumbnail size, so create a few large blocks rather than a noisy field of tiny squares.
Use a dark frame, one saturated main color, one light display color, and a small warm accent. This creates a retro arcade mood without copying a game logo or character.
Use labels sparingly
A short original word or one stripe can suggest a cassette label or arcade marquee. Do not use another company's name, an official BO2 logo, or trademarked game imagery as the focal point.
Build from large to small
Place the cabinet or cassette body first, then screen or label, then buttons and reels. At every stage, the object should remain recognizable even when the small details are hidden.
Practical example
Arcade Cabinet and Retro Cassette both rely on an oversized rectangular object, then use a screen, label, reels, or buttons as a second reading level. Pixel Prank shows how a blocky face can carry the same retro feeling without copied game art.
Use one saturated color plus a display or label highlight. The retro feeling comes from the geometry and contrast, not from a familiar logo.
Arcade Cabinet is an original retro machine that uses a simple full-screen cabinet silhouette, not any game logo, title, or protected character.
Nested square modules establish the cabinet and cyan screen. The lower control deck holds a tilted joystick, two buttons, and a centered coin slot.
Peach background creates contrast, dark slate forms the cabinet, cyan is reserved for the screen, and pink-cream controls provide small readable highlights.
Try this variation: Change the screen to green for an old terminal cabinet.
Retro Cassette is an original tape icon focused on the familiar geometry of label, reels, window, and stripe instead of a real album or brand.
A dark framed rectangle holds the slate cassette body. The cream label sits above two matched reels, with a narrow tape window and orange lower stripe closing the layout.
Rose gives the background its energy while slate, charcoal, cream, cyan, and orange separate every mechanical part cleanly.
Try this variation: Use a pale blue label for a colder cassette.
Pixel Prank is a blocky mischievous face inspired by the visual economy of early game sprites. Its humor comes from a broad square head and an exaggerated mouth rather than a known character.
A chunky dark face contains yellow eye blocks, a central nose mass, and a pale-red mouth region. Wide horizontal spacing keeps the expression readable at very small sizes.
Yellow supplies comic energy, charcoal creates the sprite body, and pale gray separates the grin. One small red or pink focus can sharpen the joke without adding complexity.
Try this variation: Move one eye upward for a more confused face.