Creative Imaging Brief · 2025–2026 Season Finale
RubyGLOW
Colorado New Music Festival
01 — Season Artwork Analysis
The Source Image:
Reading the Visual DNA
Artist
Scott Fraser · sfraser.com
Colorado-based fine art painter. The commission reflects Ars Nova’s ongoing commitment to Colorado creative collaboration.
Central Object
A dark wooden chair — empty, throne-like, inviting — serves as the focal anchor. It connotes both absence and presence, performance and waiting.
The Figures
Two articulated mannequin figures — one warm/light, one dark/shadow — rise on pedestals flanking the chair, each launching a paper airplane made of sheet music. Duality made physical: human/shadow, voice/silence, past/future.
The Paper Airplanes
Dozens of sheet music paper airplanes scatter across the chair and floor. Music as movement. Notes becoming flight. Sound dispersing into space. The core visual metaphor of RubyGLOW.
Atmosphere
Softly lit with cool lavender-gray walls and warm wood floors. The palette is restrained — near-monochrome — which makes the ruby red and navy pop powerfully.
02 — Color Palette
RubyGLOW
Color System
Primary Brand Colors
Ruby
#9B1B30
Primary accent. Headlines, CTAs, title text.
Deep Navy
#1A2B4A
Anchoring dark. Backgrounds, footers, secondary text.
Anniversary Gold
#C9A84C
40th anniversary accent. Labels, dividers, highlights.
Extracted from Artwork · Atmospheric Neutrals
Wall Lavender
#C5BECF
Background/overlay. Cool, airy, spacious.
Sheet Music Cream
#D6CDB8
Aged, warm, textural. Paper backgrounds.
Wood Floor
#7A6348
Warm grounding tone. Gradients, overlays.
Chair Ebony
#2E2820
Near-black warm undertone. Elegant shadow.
Mannequin Warm
#C4A882
Light figure. Carved wood warmth.
Mannequin Shadow
#3A3530
Dark figure. Contrast and duality.
Color Usage Principle: The Glow Rule
RubyGLOW is not loud — it glows. Atmospheric neutrals dominate spatial areas while Ruby and Gold are used sparingly as high-intensity accents. Think candlelight in a dark room, not a neon sign.
03 — Object Identity
Symbolic Objects
& Their Meanings
01
Paper Airplanes of Sheet Music
Music in Flight · Liberation · Possibility
Sheet music folded into flight — music breaking free from the page. New music transcends notation and takes wing. 40 years of tradition launching into the world.
02
The Empty Chair
The Seat of Music · Invitation · Presence/Absence
Antique wooden chair, empty and waiting. Both throne and invitation — the conductor’s, the soloist’s, the absent singer’s. Duality of full/empty, past/future.
03
Light Mannequin Figure
The Human Voice · Day · Creation
Warm carved-wood figure raising a music-paper airplane aloft. Represents singers — human, physical, warm — giving voice to written music.
04
Shadow Mannequin Figure
Resonance · Night · The Other Choir
Dark silhouetted figure mirroring the light one. Echo, harmony, counterpoint. Collaboration of three choirs — two voices becoming one gesture.
05
The Pedestal Stands
Elevation · Performance · The Stage
Brass pedestal stands elevating both figures. Mirrors the concert hall — performers elevated before audience. Reverence for the art form. 40 years of elevated work.
06
The Room Itself
The Intimate Space · Colorado · Home
Quiet room with lavender-gray walls and warm wood floor. The lavender atmosphere IS the glow — ambient, enveloping, beautiful without announcing itself.
04 — Typography System
Type Hierarchy
for RubyGLOW
05 — Photography Direction
Shooting Tonight:
What to Capture
Sheet Music Close-Ups
Macro shots of printed scores — especially “The Bird of Vision” title page. Natural light. Paper texture.
Singer Portraits
Candid, mid-rehearsal. Eyes closed, mouth open. Warm directional light. Black clothing.
The Paper Airplane Moment
Fold a sheet from the score into a paper airplane. Hold it. Launch it. Direct echo of Scott Fraser’s painting.
The “Forty Years” Group Video
Faces close to camera saying “Forty years.” Warm room light. Shallow depth of field.
Choir in Space
Wide shots of full choir filling the room. Deep navy/shadow edges, warm center.
The Conductor’s Hands
Motion blur of conducting gestures. Hands shaping music from air.
Color Grading Direction
Slightly desaturated overall. Cool lavender-gray in shadows, warm cream-gold in midtones. Avoid warm orange presets. The glow feels like late afternoon light through a window — luminous but contained.
06 — Visual Standards
Do & Don’t:
RubyGLOW Visuals
✓ Do
- Use lavender-gray, cream, and wood tones as spatial backgrounds
- Let ruby red appear as a precise, deliberate accent
- Mix Cormorant Garamond for artistry and DM Sans for clarity
- Use the paper airplane and chair as recurring motifs
- Photograph singers with warmth — real moments, not posed
- Use deep navy for formal event graphics
- Apply gold sparingly for 40th anniversary moments
- Maintain the light/shadow duality in paired content
✗ Don’t
- Don’t use generic concert stock photography
- Don’t flood graphics with ruby
- Don’t use purple gradients or trendy AI-aesthetic palettes
- Don’t place the logo on cluttered photographic backgrounds
- Don’t use ALL CAPS on Cormorant Garamond
- Don’t use warm orange-toned photo filters
- Don’t create busy, text-heavy social posts
- Don’t crop Scott Fraser’s artwork awkwardly
07 — Format Specifications
Social Media
Format Guide
| Format | Dimensions | Platform | Primary Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square Post | 1080×1080 px | Instagram Feed | Event announcements, choir portraits |
| Portrait Post | 1080×1350 px | Instagram Feed | Choir shots, quote cards, countdowns |
| Story / Reel | 1080×1920 px | Instagram Stories | “Forty Years” video, day-of content |
| Facebook Post | 1200×630 px | Event listings, ticket links | |
| Event Cover | 1920×1080 px | Facebook Events | RubyGLOW event page header |
08 — Creative Direction
The Mood of
RubyGLOW
The Central Creative Idea: Music Takes Flight
The paper airplanes made of sheet music are not decoration — they are the concept. Music written down is being folded, transformed, and launched into the world as something new. For all creative imaging: ask “does this feel like music taking flight?” If yes, proceed.
09 — Background & Style System
Surface Treatments
& Layout Atmosphere
Background Surfaces
01 — Ink Black · Base Surface
Pure Background
Foundation of all RubyGLOW design. Near-black #1A1A1A — not pure black. Warm undertone keeps it elegant.
02 — Ruby Radial Glow · Hero Accent
Glow Underlay
Ruby radial gradient bleeding from one side into transparency. Use on cover panels. Never center the glow.
03 — Subtle Grey Underlay · Content Card
Card Surface
Barely-there lift from base black. Used for object identity cards and grouped content blocks.
04 — Ruby Underlay · Callout
Callout Surface
Warm ruby tint at low opacity. Reserve for high-priority callouts and key rules only.
Left-Border Text Treatments
Gradient Separators & Rules
linear-gradient(90deg, #9B1B30 0%, rgba(196,39,74,0.3) 40%, transparent 100%)
linear-gradient(90deg, #C9A84C 0%, rgba(201,168,76,0.2) 40%, transparent 100%)
linear-gradient(90deg, transparent 0%, #C4274A 50%, transparent 100%)
Surface Hierarchy: How to Layer These Treatments
Base → Atmosphere → Container → Accent. Start with ink black. Add ONE ruby radial glow anchored to one edge. Place content cards on top as needed. Apply sidebar borders only to text requiring special emphasis. Separators always fade to nothing.