68 Romantic Fonts

In just two days Valentine's Day will be here and you are working on a last-minute project.  The design has been imagined, the illustrations found, the text decided.

However, while you might know what to say, you also know that 'how' you say it is equally important in graphic design. Whether you're working on a promotion for Feb. 14 or a special card for your own Valentine,  choosing the right font goes a long way to pulling mood and message together.

I have to be honest. When it comes to typography I really only know what I like; whether it's the right font for the project I'm less certain about.

When I worked in print media,  the discussion was always about serif verses sans serif.  The popular notion at the time was that serif was preferred for print as it was more 'readable'. Italic and bold were used to emphasize,  but sparingly.

Mixing it up was also the suggestion, which the editorial department did incoprorating different fonts for cutlines, headlines and articles. It was a format to follow and, as such, while there was variety in it, it didn't leave things open for us to experiment with typography the way the advertising people could.

So, when I sit down now to work on a project, I often find myself staring with vapid expression at the countless possibilities for text to highlight my illustration and define my copy. Rather than why I should pick one over the other, it's more likely that I simply select one I like.

Taking what's right and what's wrong out of the design aspect of typography then, since I admit to really having absolutely no idea, I decided to go on a little search in the final days of this Valentine countdown for fonts that say romance to me. And these are what I like:

iCLIPART.com Romantic Fonts

iCLIPART.com Heart Fonts

3 Collections of Heart and Flower Valentine Images

What does romance mean to you?

Through the course of several decades in this world, I've learned one thing about that question — romance has different meaning for everyone. Simply reflecting on quotes by some famous people will prove that.

To author Nicholas Sparks, "Romance is thinking about your significant other, when you are supposed to be thinking about something else."  Actor Elizabeth Ashley has a little more of a cynical viewpoint on the topic saying, "In a great romance, each person basically plays a part that the other really likes."

One sure to appeal to the dewy-eyed from the academic,  Carolyn Gold Helbrun: "Romance is the glamour which turns the dust of everyday life into a golden haze." And finally, one for the truly sentimental,  romance, according to novelist and poet Gertrude Stein, is "everything."

For me, romance is about the little things. It's the offer of a back massage (no strings attached) at the end of a long day.  It's eyes seeking you out, and the smile when you return  the look from across a crowded room. It's the gentle caress of his hand on your back as you walk into a building. 

Romance for me is his  home-cooked spaghetti dinner, served up each year since we met, on my birthday.  It's coming home to clean kitchen cupboards and washed dishes.

It's a random note about my value to him.  It's a card that I know he actually read and purchased for the message inside.

Which given all of this, has me thinking that maybe the meaning isn't so random. I can easily see the truth in all of the above quotes.  Romance is that gesture that proves I am not just in my guy's thoughts, but that he is thinking about me.  For a macho man from a family of rowdy realists, being romantic requires a bit of role playing; for me to accept the gesture with aplomb definitely requires the same.

Ultimately, the act of romance does improve a day, even perhaps turning life at least for that moment, into a golden haze. Anything that can achieve that really is everything.

Lacking the eloquence of the aforementioned writers, when I reference romance I often speak of hearts and flowers  to define it. The former is a metaphor  of love or love yet to be, the latter represents the gifts or gestures we can give to express it.

Today, then, with the most romantic of holidays just four days away, here are some lovely hearts and flowers illustrations for your Valentine project:

iCLIPART.com Hearts and Flowers Valentine Clipart

Clipart.com Hearts and Flowers Valentine Clipart

ClickArt Online Hearts and Flowers Valentine Clipart

5 Photo Collections of Gorgeous Red Roses

When you think about Valentine's Day, you think of love and romance, of course. You think of hearts, of chocolate, of fancy candlelit dinners, of jewellery. 

Romance means a lot of different things to different people. There are women who would consider their partner getting up to do dishes, unasked, the ultimate romantic gesture. The hearts of some men would be warmed seeing their wife or girlfriend washing the car.

On the flip side, there are folks who require the grandiose — the thought out, planned major event — a weekend getaway or elaborate surprise.

Something that typically comes to mind when one thinks of romance, though,  are red roses.  These are the flowers to give as a reflection of great passion and love. The number can also have significance, with the single bud meaning love, while 50 proves that love is unconditional.

Or maybe just that the buyer has a bigger expense account.

Roses are linked to romance in poetry, literature and film. Remember when Meg Ryan's Kate in You've Got Mail is going to finally have a face-to-face with the man to whom she has been enjoying an online dalliance of words.  She would be the one with the red rose inside a copy of Pride and Prejudice he was told.  Seriously, could that be any more romantic?

Actually yes,  if you consider that the shade of the rose carries its own meeting. When Tom Hanks's character (who knows now that Kate is the girl from the emails, while she is still in the dark) asks if the rose is red, she corrects him saying it's burgundy. Which signifies a love yet to be realized. 

Being a typical girl when it comes to these kinds of things, I can only tell you that at this point in the movie my heart melted.

As will many in just a few days when  gorgeous bouquets of red roses come to them for Valentine's Day. 

For anyone looking to visually enhance a Feb. 14 promotion, for personal projects of love and romance, or for someone just wanting to see pretty images,  here are five photo collections of this lovely flower:

100 iPHOTOS.com Pictures of Red Roses

Clipart.com Photos of Red Roses

Acclaim Images Red Rose Photos

ClickArt Online Red Roses Photos

Romantic Red Rose Pictures from FunMag.org

900 Plus Valentine Backgrounds

A very important factor in making a project — whether it's a relationship or a building — is a strong foundation. A marriage built on less can't sustain itself; a house without one will sink and fall.

When it comes to creating something with an illustration, often the thing to tie it all together, to make it cohesive, to make it solid, will be the right background. The perfect one can add interest and pull all the other elements of your design together. 

Backgrounds can truly be the foundation and the framework of a good design. Often a background can be so ideal that it can stand alone, with only the addition of  some text to fill the space.

Interestingly, they are suited to both the creative and the unimaginative. The former can use talent and expertise to build around the background, while the latter can let the image speak for itself.

The principle challenge for each then is to find the one that suits style and need.  With the diversity of graphics available online there's no reason to not find exactly what you want. The variety is endless.

Valentine's Day is less than a week away. It seemed the perfect focus, therefore,  for scoping out some examples of what one can find on royalty-free online graphics sites for backgrounds to set the foundation for your special projects, whether for business or personal. Just one try and a quick look netted almost 1,000 results.

iCLIPART.com

Clipart.com