Clichéd Valentine’s Day Designs That Need to be Dumped

Every February 14^th, this guy named Val comes into town, and he’s all about spreading the love. But there’s something about him that makes a lot of people say: “What is his deal?” Well, if we’re talking about his looks, then a lot is his deal. The problem is he’s just so tacky. The ugly cupids? The overused hearts? Valentines Day is one of the best examples of holiday bad design offenders that even non-designers can spot. Yeah, I think he needs to reconsider a good number of choices in design. Let’s look at what he should ditch if he wants to win some hearts.

His Love for Insipid Cupid Designs

Poor, poor Cupid. Most of his designs either look like they came from kitschy greeting cards from the early 20^th century or from the bowels of clipart hell. Believe it or not, Cupid can look dignified (see the Roman copy of Eros Stringing the Bow). So c’mon Val, show your patron god of desire some respect and stop using goofy designs to represent him, okay?

His Need to Make Hearts “Shiny”

Okay, we understand Val thinks hearts should be designed to stand out. After all, a plain red heart doesn’t scream ‘exciting, right? So the logical answer would be to add reflections in the corners and along the sides to make it pop!

Unfortunately, that’s been done to death!

So no, Val, those little glossy reflections in the corners won’t save your heart. Actually, not much will make a heart stand out except if you think outside of the box. Maybe you should get inspiration from something like Brian Carson’s “Valentines Heart Celtic Knot eCards” if you need ideas!

Shoving Roses in Everyone’s Face

We’ve heard the message a million times, Val. “Roses mean ‘I Love You.’” Showing off one more of those things will make eyes roll (and definitely not turn into the wingding hearts you see when someone’s in love). Here’s an idea: try pink lilies or succulents instead. No, they may not be “iconic” in the same way roses are, but they can still spread the color and love all the same!

Too Much Red

In Western culture, the color red means “love.” But maybe, just maybe, we could branch out to other warm colors in Valentine’s Day designs more often? Case in point: in India, the color orange is the symbol of love. Or what about nice shades of yellow, which represent happiness? Heck, try purple if you want your Valentine to feel classy! Just ease up on the reds and pinks, Val!

These are just a few things our man Val can do to revamp his look for a more interesting day of love. What else do you think is overrated in design and visuals on Valentine’s Day? Let us know in the comments below, or leave us a tweet @ZillionDesigns!