From the Pedro Binder

2003 Donruss

Sometimes things are just wasted. A Monet decorating a master bathroom. Or, a good book in a Yankees fan's house. 

This is one of those times.

This card is a fantastic design. I can't think of away to make it better. It has full bleed picture on all four sides. The important information is in a floating banner that is about as small as it could possibly be. The floating banner allows the picture to perfectly extend below it. Even the Donruss logo is hidden in the corner. Everything is done to allow the picture to stand out. To be the most important part of the card.

Then they pick this picture.

Pedro on the mound, stretching his shoulders a bit.

Are you kidding me? This design just calls for an intense action shot. Even a pretty common shot of Pedro throwing a pitch. Or, a clever shot of Pedro being goofy in the dugout, or signing autographs, or wearing a Yoda mask. But, no, Donruss went with a picture of Pedro standing still, doing nothing.

Sorry...he's not doing nothing. He's shrugging his shoulders. As if even the picture knows this is a "blah" card. I wouldn't mind so much if the rest of the card was a disaster. But, so often companies take a great picture, and hide it behind an obnoxious design. Here they've done the opposite. They did the hard part. They found the design that showed off a really great picture. And, they screwed it up.

What a waste.