Like all such endeavors, symphony orchestra season brochures must convey on their covers the basic "what is it?" concepts, in this case "classical music" and "a season of performances." Naturally, that leads to pictures of violins and/or violinists, musical notes and/or staffs, or the conductor (sometimes looking at the orchestra with his or her back turned to the reader, in profile with a baton-weilding hand raised and a suitable facial expression, or head-on facing the reader and courting a pseudo-personal relationship with them). When a maestro is reasonably well known or has a human personality, it's tempting to leave the trite visual symbols behind and make him or her the star. This week we look at three examples of how to do it well. Or not.

Continued in the April 15 edition of Arty Face.