Before&After: Evocative Business Card for a Tiny Budget

This musician’s business card gets a lot of visual atmosphere out of just a few elements. Set in faint tonal contrasts, the illustration dominates the space but does not overpower the card. It conveys the air of classical musicianship without being stuffy; it’s simple and masculine. To achieve all this, the designer had many decisions to make. This 18-page article from issue 44 of Before&After Magazine shows you how to turn a one-color business card into a visual statement.

One ink on white paper yields three levels of tonal depth: dark, medium, and light.

© John McWade/Before&After Magazine, courtesy of Gaye Anne McWade.