Kristin Wagner is a dancer in Boston who was looking to better brand herself within the dance community. I was hired freelance to create her business card. Kristin hoped to demonstrate an organic yet powerful tone through her business card. There was a photo of herself that she loved, but wanted me to alter to fit the desired tone. She wanted to avoid the traditional “pretty dancer” as much as possible. Additionally she requested that the design highlight her signature.

As a dancer, I pulled from my own experience and perspective. Dancing isn’t always pretty and light- there’s sweat and pain and you can easily lose yourself in the movement. I believe the imagery captures just that: the fleeting moments in dance of truth, beauty, and pain while integrating her requests. To address Kristin’s ideal tone and imagery, I first approached the photograph (shown below). Wanting to enhance the dynamic quality of the image, I pushed the original colors of the photo to provide a bolder contrast of warm and cold colors. The texture then emphasizes the movement and adds the grittiness that is often forgotten about dance. In order for the back to parallel the tone of the front, I added a slight texture and mirrored the signature on the front using the same color palette.

Here are the initial iterations for the design.