The mood of my picture CD was “vibrant” and there were many more “vibrant” pictures on the CD that I could have used instead of this picture of my viola. However, I thought that for my business card, it was more important to have something with meaning for me. Music in general and the viola in particular take up a large part of my life. I am in orchestra, take lessons, practice every day, and am going to minor or possibly double major in music. Though a viola may not mean much to most people, I think that the viola is very vibrant. The sound alone can make me cheery. Though the colors of this picture (even after some manipulation) are not as striking as some of my other pictures, I really felt that this was the best graphic to include on my card and I didn’t want to manipulate to the point where the viola was difficult to identify. I attempted to use a more striking color for the background, but it was difficult to find something that made the viola picture look like it was supposed to go there and wasn’t just haphazardly placed. I don’t have any real title or even a declared major yet, so I decided to instead include the quote “Smiles are contagious; infect the world” which is a fun little saying that I adopted a few years ago. The slogan is in the shape of a smile, which I think helps reinforce the message. This is a very cheery quote, and I think it adds to making the business card more vibrant. I wanted to keep this simple, yet fun. I think that the business card I designed is the best for me and can be considered very vibrant with the right associations.
I love the picture!!! I play the violin and although I am not as serious, I suppose, as you, I still love music and I love playing the violin. Usually when I get stressed, I go in the stairwell and play, because it sounds super cool.
Anyways…I love what Professor Hendrick pointed out – how the curve of the quote follows the slant of the strings. I do not know if you intended it to be that way, but sometimes the best things happen unintentionally. It just draws the eyes all the way across the card in this cool wave motion. I also really like the angle you took the picture from. Personally, I always thought the bridge was the prettiest part of any orchestra instrument with its curving top and precise cutouts. I think it would have been cool if the edges of the photo were slightly faded out so it blends into the background, but all in all, I love your picture and quote.
I really like the picture of viola. It is very well taken and I think you should empathisize it more actually, maybe make it more of your business card? I like the simple aspect but I think maybe a more adorned name would actually draw more attention to the card and create more of a balance.
It’s a beautiful photograph though.