Valentine’s Day has a long history. There were actually several Saint Valentines. The two who are honored on February 14th were both martyrs in Rome, but it wasn’t until Geoffrey Chaucer that the day was associated with romance. Today, consumerism has taken advantage of the day, and companies everywhere use it as a part of their marketing campaigns. Here are 14 infographics to help return the day to its messages of love and caring.
1. Spoken and written words are both powerful, but signed words are also a great way to communicate. With this infographic, you can learn how to Tell Your Loved One “I Love You” in American Sign Language.
2. There are plenty of media to use to Communicate Love, too, many of which are electronic. What’s more romantic than Love wishes traveling long distances almost instantaneously?
3. And even though Neko Hearts are something you buy, they predate our modern consumer era as a Valentine’s Day treat, starting in 1866.
4. There are also plenty of ways to celebrate the day without buying anything. A Modern Man’s Guide to Valentine’s Day has a few handcrafted ideas mixed in.
5. Still haven’t decided how to celebrate? This flowchart may not help you figure it out, but it certainly shows how confusing the decision process can be.
6. If you are confused about your feelings, the Love Guide might help you sort them out.
7. Being confused is understandable. Valentine’s day is possibly the holiday that causes the most conflicted feelings for people, with opinions even changing from year to year.
8. Regardless of how you feel about it, here’s some Valentine’s Day Facts.
9. To prove that it has become a holiday of consumption, here’s How Consumers Spend On Valentine’s Day.
10. And this infographic’s title says it all: All You Need is Love (But A Bank Account Couldn’t Hurt).
11. Despite all the conflicted feelings around the holiday, the majority of Brits still plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day 2013.
12. Instead of giving the cliché this year, how about Giving a Gift With Some Thought and donating to a charity?
13. And if this holiday just comes at a bad time for you, remember there are Other Days to Celebrate Love with someone.
14. Finally, If you Don’t Have a Date, your life might actually be easier. Just grab some ice cream!
Drew Skau is Visualization Architect at Visual.ly and a PhD Computer Science Visualization student at UNCC with an undergraduate degree in Architecture. You can follow him on twitter @SeeingStructure
