Core77

Most of the world has pretty straightforward choices for their loved ones: a cheesy greeting card, a box of chocolates, a bouquet of roses and a nice dinner. But it's our job as designers to be innovators, to buck the trend, to chart new territory, right?

Thank goodness for designer-y Valentine's cards for the creatives in your life. Here are three of my favorites:

Snuggle Sutra: Just started dating? Still in that awkward phase of the relationship and not ready for the commitment of passionate love making? Behold the Snuggle Sutra, a set of PG-13 cards with classic snuggle positions like the Spork ("Half spoon, half fork--best of both worlds") and the stretched out Superman.

Make it Yourself QR Valentine's: Fire up the studio's laser cutter and get your lover a hot QR code for Valentine's Day. This code can be printed and then cut out for some steamy smartphone action. For bonus points, use an X-acto blade and a ruler and map out your own code using a custom code generator like QRhacker.

Letterpress Valentine's Day Cards: And for the typography nerd in all of us, there's the letterpress Valentine's Day card set. Bathe in the font of TrueType love with such clever hits as "You're Just My Type" and "You Make Me Happy When Skies Are #CCCCCC." Because nothing gets the heart pumping like a partner who knows an em dash from an en.