April 14, 2024 marks 112 years since the catastrophic sinking of the luxury liner Titanic in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic.
There’s a circumstantial connection between that ship and my business card. It concerns an overnight flight I was making to Europe from Canada.
At a certain point in the flight the sun could be seen setting as the crescent moon and stars became visible. I made a photo of the scene through the windows. The flight crew volunteered that we were passing over the approximate location of the Titanic.
It was sobering to realize we were 6 miles above the water surface while the ship lay 2 ½ miles beneath the surface.
My image was surprisingly sharp, considering the time exposure required. On the computer, I posterized the scene and presented it to my good friend Tony Mihok who designed what has been my basic business card ever since.
It incorporates undefined elements of land, sea and air which are all part of travel. The moon is purposely shown both as a crescent and full, a paean to photographic light and shadow.
Recently, I finessed the design with input from the very helpful people at Vistaprint. We added a QR code, put raised lettering on my name and gave the colours more punch — all on a hefty card stock. The final touch was to emboss each card with my corporate logo. This I do manually. Yes, it takes time, but is a little bit of a personal touch.
Here’s the final (oversized) result, minus the tactile feel. For that, I’ll have to give you one of my cards when we meet.
