In 2021, it’s time to rethink your color palette for Valentine’s Day. Traditional colors associated with love such as red, pink, or scarlet are getting quite repetitive by now. Let’s face it, you probably can’t stand out when every other campaign uses the same colors and symbols.

Many would probably agree they are corny when paired with Valentine’s Day. Also, you will not find these colors among the visual trends of the year or the colors of the year (see our articles on this topic: The Pantone Colors of the Year 2021 and Color of the Year 2021 Is Brave Ground). It goes without saying that the last thing your audience needs is to be surrounded by promotional materials in bright shades that hurt their eyes as they scroll through their feeds or open identical promo emails.

But which Valentine’s color palette should you choose and how do you make your Valentine’s Day images for social media stand out in such a competitive space? Depositphotos content curators know the answer and have already put together a gorgeous collection of the newest Valentine’s day backgrounds, photos for banners, and even design templates.

In turn, all of us from the editorial team decided not only to show you all these Valentine’s Day picture collections (see all of them here) but also share tips about some unusual messages and design approaches you can choose this year. Our pride and joy is the main Valentine’s Day collection on our blog called ‘Love: Redefined’. Here, you will find all the alternative color combinations and creative ways to rethink your featured colors for Valentine’s Day.

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Love: Redefined. Rethinking Color Palettes and Messages for February 14th

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Close-ups create a sense of intimacy. Use this trick if you want to show the customer that your brand is authentic and your communication more personal.

Multiethnic couple together, faces close up

In most countries where February 14th is widely celebrated, flowers have not yet bloomed by this date. The great thing about stock photo libraries is that you can feature any types of flowers year-round.

stock image blooming pink flowers

A festive collage is a good alternative to photography to use in your ads. In general, illustrations are more about the craft and therefore more personal. They are imperfect and the DIY touch makes visuals more one-of-a-kind.

Minimal Contemporary collage art stock image

Opting for stock illustrations and vectors is a great idea when you want your message to stand out without annoying subscribers with really bold color palettes.

Dessert font - modern flat vector concept digital stock illustration

In 2021, your clients and their beloved ones might not have the opportunity to gather together like they did before because of possible limitations with lockdowns. But these people are likely looking forward to this and missing travels. Photos of exotic lands can put them in a dreamy mood.

Valentine’s Day Images Featuring Trending Color Palettes of 2021

Visuals that tell a story are a great addition to campaigns and ads. People are left to fill in the gaps and invent their own stories that go along with the images. In our collection, you will find many photographs featuring movie aesthetics.

Cheerful happy young couple sit in the retro-minibus stock photo

Many millennials can be indifferent to Valentine’s Day but that doesn’t mean they’re not sentimental or love is of no value to them. Combine two things they admire (love and wellbeing) in a single holiday message and double down on a unique message.

Happy sporty Caucasian couple having piggyback in nature in summertime stock photography

Isolated objects against a solid color background can look artistic and social-media-ready. In addition, this artistic approach helps focus the audience’s eyes on something specific and leaves enough room for text.

Valentine’s Day Images Featuring Trending Color Palettes of 2021

This image could be the perfect Valentine’s Day background. Remember that you can always surprise your audience by using images of traditional holiday symbols using non-traditional colors.

Little wooden hearts on blue background.

Who said Valentine’s Day images have to always be red or pink? Illuminating is one of two Pantone 2021 colors that the fashion industry has met with enthusiasm. This image is a good example of how the warm shade of yellow fits perfectly with this concept.

Valentine’s Day Images Featuring Trending Color Palettes of 2021

Images with objects that are placed upside down always attract more attention, as it takes the audience a little longer to recognize what they see. Use this trick in your next marketing campaign to keep your audience guessing.

A romantic couple is enjoying warm sunny summer day while lying down amidst the meadow. A man and a woman in love are spending the weekend outdoors. Portrait of a young couple just married.

Valentine’s Day is not only about dating but also about the anticipation of seeing your loved one. Share touching stories about the hours before a date and think about how you can fit your product or service into this story.

Valentine’s Day Images Featuring Trending Color Palettes of 2021

To increase audience reach with your holiday posts, aim to make your visuals look like the type of content your followers’ and customers’ friends would usually post on Instagram.

Young hipster girl on the back of her boyfriend stock photo

Authenticity 2.0 is one of the visual trends of 2021. It’s about minimal post-production, and about being yourself and showing off all the different (and unique!) moments of your life based on the changes that took place last year. It’s a way to reinterpret authentic photos to appeal to modern audiences.

Valentine’s Day Images Featuring Trending Color Palettes of 2021

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Save Time with This Template Collection by Crello

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Valentine's Day ready-made templates Crello

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Valentine's Day ready-made templates Crello-1

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Valentine's Day ready-made templates Crello

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Valentine's Day ready-made templates Crello

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Valentine's Day ready-made templates Crello-3

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Wrapping up

If we were to ask you about what pops into your imagination first when you think about Valentine’s Day, you’ll undoubtedly mention red and pink colors, heart shapes, flowers, cards, and so on.

Throw out holiday clichés and replace them with something directly related to your brand paired with creative ideas we suggested. Get inspired starting with brand new Valentine’s Day colors in our new collection Love: Redefined.

And if some interesting idea catches you on the eve of the holiday, don’t let it wait till the next year: with this collection of design templates, you can quickly transform any idea into a top-notch visual for social networks or your blog cover in no time.

Explore more for Valentine’s Day 

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