How can we express our love on Valentine’s Day? Love is formless, but sending a Valentine’s card is a real form of voicing our love. You might wonder who sends cards in this digital era where connection is possible instantly.
The Greeting Card Association found in a survey that after Christmas, Valentine’s Day is the second most popular card-sending occasion in America when people send nearly 145 million Valentine’s cards annually.
Despite technological advances, the survey signifies the high demand for Valentine’s cards because there is an absolute joy in receiving a physical card as a tangible token of love.
Today, this blog will share numerous step-by-step guidance on Valentine’s card design ideas, delving into its significant history, various styles, and current trends. So, let’s get started!
The Evolution of Valentine's Cards
‘Valentine’s Day’ originated from ‘Saint Valentine,’ who Claudius II martyred for their Christian faith in the 3rd century. Yet, the past behind the Valentine’s Day festival is clouded by different mythologies.
Today, we send cards to our beloved people on February 14 to memorialize Valentine’s Day. But do you know how the practice of Valentine’s Day card sending started? How did it spread globally?
We will explore history from ancient roots to current forms to find the answer to the above questions.
- Origin of Valentine’s Day Card: In the 15th century, Margery Brews sent her fiance, John Paston, the most antique Valentine’s card, which is a letter. In the letter, she called him her “right, well-beloved Valentine” and requested him to marry her despite her father’s rejection.
Another letter is counted as an antique Valentine’s card written by Charles d’Orléans during his captivity in the Agincourt Battle. He sent it to his beloved wife, where he voiced his love, calling her a “very gentle Valentine.”
- Rise of Valentine’s Day Cards: The U.S. started selling Valentine’s Day cards commercially in the 1800s. Taking inspiration from an English Valentine’s card, Esther Howland produced cards in large quantities. She added flowers, hearts, or laces to decorate the cards. They also contained emotional poems or notes. She is called the Mother of the American Valentine.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Valentine’s cards were marketed all over the world, and the tradition of sending Valentine’s cards spread globally. Other cards named “vinegar valentines” were also available, which contained humorous or vulgar notes sent anonymously to mock the recipient.
- Modern Trends of Valentine’s Day Cards: Valentine’s cards evolved from the 20th to 21st centuries to encompass various designs, themes, and messages tailored to diverse audiences. Valentine’s Day cards are available today, from paper cards to e-cards. Due to high-tech and media development, making personalized and creative cards using online tools or software and sending them via email, social media, and websites has become more handy. Despite technological advancements, the charm of receiving a physical card remains unparalleled for many.
Today, people globally celebrate Valentine’s Day significantly and send Valentine’s cards beyond romantic partners to friends, family members, and even pets, highlighting their love and affection.
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Worldwide Impact of Valentine's Day and Valentine's Cards
Valentine’s Day, observed on February 14, is rooted in the ancient Roman festival of love and fertility. Over time, it became a holiday hallmark of showing love and exchanging gifts and cards. Today’s most common gifts people send on Valentine’s Day are flowers, cards, chocolates, and other accessories. Some also opt for customized gift items like books, music, art, or services.
The National Retail Federation revealed that Americans spent about $27.4 billion on Valentine’s Day gifts in 2020, an average of $196.31 per person.
However, Valentine’s Day celebrations and Valentine’s cards are different around the world, influenced by religion, cultures, and regions. For example-
- In Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, women give chocolates to men on Valentine’s Day, and men return the favor a month later on White Day.
- The people of Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina celebrate Valentine’s Day on June 12, July 20, or October 20, respectively.
- In Finland, Estonia, and Guatemala, people present cards and gifts to their loved ones and friends, considering Valentine’s Day for romantic love and friendship.
- Some countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan discourage Valentine’s Day and Valentine’s cards, considering they contradict their religious or cultural values.
- India, China, and Indonesia find Valentine’s Day celebrations and Valentine’s card distribution challenging for some groups who consider the tradition to threaten their national or moral identity.
- South Africa, Lebanon, and Israel use Valentine’s Day and Valentine’s cards as a platform to promote social issues.
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Valentines Cards: Types and Styles
Valentine’s cards develop styles based on purpose, from Saint Valentine’s to today’s Hallmark. In this blog portion, we will explore the types and styles of Valentine’s cards you can gift to your loved ones.
Valentine’s Day cards come in different styles and types based on budget, preferences and choices. Here is a glimpse of them:
Traditional Valentine’s cards:
Traditional Valentine’s cards abound with a timeless charm that stimulates memories expressing love for your partner, spouse, or crush. These cards are designed in various shapes and sizes with expressive feature set-ups using red or pink colors, Cupids, hearts, and roses and are attached with romantic notes like ‘I Love You,’ ‘Be My Valentine,’ ‘Be Mine,’ etc.
Modern Valentine’s cards:
Modern Valentine’s cards adopt trendy aesthetics that are elegant and minimal. These cards appear stylishly with bold typography in vibrant colors incorporating various shapes and designs. These cards also contain notes using stylish fonts expressing love or affection for friends, family, or colleagues.
Unconventional Valentine’s cards:
For those who look for something out of tradition, an unconventional Valentine’s card is perfect for bringing a smile to the recipient’s face, blending humor notes and quirky imagery. You can use your Pumpkin Head Photoshoot as a quirky image in the card. These cards are suitable to express humor and personality to loved ones who share similar interests.
Personalized Valentine’s cards:
Personalized Valentine’s cards let you customize the design to add a unique touch to your card that makes your beloved person feel more special. You can use personal photos, heartfelt handwritten notes, or artwork on the card to express love creatively. You can also order from different online platforms that serve such a purpose within your budget and taste.
Digital Valentine’s Card:
Today, whatever style you pick, you can send your Valentine’s Day card in both print and digital versions. Even though the popularity of digital cards is increasing daily, the demand for print cards remains in the market.
Digital Valentine’s cards are super fast, convenient, and eco-friendly, and you can send them instantly to your beloved person using email, social media, or messaging apps. One plus point of the digital version card is that you can use interactive elements or animated graphics that wow the receiver.
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Valentine's Card Design Ideas
Here, you have come to the central part of the blog, where I will show you different Valentine’s Card Design Ideas. These ideas are easy to make and need basic materials and tools you can find at home or a craft store.
If you are a creative soul, this part will thrill you.
Here are some lovely DIY Valentine’s card design ideas, along with step-by-step instructions to inspire you:
#1. Handmade Paper Cards:
You can make a paper card using handmade recycled paper or other special paper.
- First, you have to cut the paper into shapes like squares, ovals, circles, rectangles, and even a heart.
- Next, draw different romantic objects or signs like hearts, roses, cupids, or lovebirds freehand or using stencils.
- Decorate the card with ribbons, sequins, beads, and pressed flowers to add a creative but lovely vibe.
- Finally, add a heartfelt note using calligraphy or colorful pens.
#2. Photo Collage Cards:
If you think of adding personalized photos on your Valentine’s card to make it more memorable, you can add them by making a collage.
- Before making the collage, enhance your images using the Image post-production service.
- Next, print them out and arrange them creatively with different themes like hearts or timelines of relationships on a cardstock base.
- You can add stickers to complement your feelings.
- Using adhesive or washi tape will make the photos more secure.
- Finally, don’t forget to add your lovely handwritten notes.
#3. Pop-Up Cards:
Pop-up cards are a spellbinding way to surprise your Valentine with amazement.
- Fold a piece of cardstock in half to create the card base.
- Cut out another piece of paper in the shape of hearts or flowers.
- Attach the cutout design inside the card using adhesive tape.
- When the card is opened, the design will appear with an amusing visual effect.
- Add any more elements you like to make it more beautiful.
- Express your love by adding complementary notes.
#4. Embroidered Cards:
Want to add a handmade touch with elegance to your card for Valentine’s? You can achieve it by embroidering.
- Take a needle or piercing tool to punch in the cardstock base and punch holes at the edges of the card.
- Using embroidery thread, carefully stitch designs or words on the card.
#5. Painted Cards:
If you love painting, you can add your passion to your Valentine’s Day card.
- Think about the paint and start painting on the card base.
- Wait to let it be dried, and then add other elements if you want.
- Adding splatters of paint or metallic accents can be an excellent option for the note’s background.
- Write your note using a marker or calligraphy pen.
#6. Funny Valentine’s Card Design Idea:
There is no hard and first rule to designing a Valentine’s card as romantic. So, you can make your card with funny features containing jokes or memes if your beloved person is jolly-minded.
- Select a joke or meme and print it.
- Cut out the image and glue it on the front or inside the card.
- Keep space to write funny but lovely notes.
- Decorate the card using stickers or other humorous elements.
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Finale
A Valentine’s card is a great way to express love to your beloved people on Valentine’s Day. In this blog, we have explored all the possible facts related to Valentine’s card while explaining the main point of Valentine’s Card Design Ideas. We hope you enjoyed reading the blog, learned Valentine’s card design ideas, and found inspiration sources to create your own.
You can trust the Cut Out Image team if you need help enhancing your photos to attach to your Valentine’s card. They are an Ecommerce Image Editing Service expert. However, the team also executes custom editing requests to meet your unique editing needs.
So, what are you waiting for? Start designing your Valentine’s card today and surprise your loved ones with your creation.