Love Letters: A Typographical Exploration of Desire

written by Houke de Kwant on January 29, 2014

Love, amour, kärlek — any way you say it, the word conjures up strong emotions of attraction, affection, and desire. In design, we often look to type treatments to visually convey that emotional power in the meaning of words.

Inspired by “The Science Behind Fonts (And How They Make You Feel)” by Mikael Cho and the 4th Communication Arts Typography Annual, Liz Lapp, Shutterstock’s professional curator, looked to their library to explore stylized treatments for “love.” Popular results include handwritten scripts, the color red, and bold lettering.

View a curated set of expressive treatments from the Shutterstock library below, then visit their full gallery to discover even more ways to share the L.O.V.E.