Front - good & minimal
Back - not so good
The all lower-case Avant Garde - is that what it is? - is just too difficult to read, it's too hard to differentiate the letters (shapes are too similar) and the lines seem to blend into each other too easily. Try a different font or using mixed case or even spacing the different lines of text further away from each other.

I came up with these variations based on your suggestions.

http://i43.tinypic.com/16k8as7.jpg

I think I'll use the cropped a as my logo, too. I just redesigned my resume to include it.

I would go a couple of points smaller for the text.

Also the sans you are using are particularly dull. Try something more interesting.

Is the big purple lowercase ‘a’ a Kepler or Walbaum?

Mikey

The big 'a' is Justus.
I chose Avant Garde becasue it's very round and curvy and my name (in all lowercase) has lots of curves.

The point size on this version is 10pt. I don't want people to have to squint, though I don't want it to look like a big-print edition book either. A friend recommended trying all caps and moving my name.

http://i42.tinypic.com/f39yk0.jpg

Not all caps! All caps looks like you're yelling! Or that your font choice doesn't have elegant Small Caps.

I liked the letter differentiation you had going in your 2nd posting, variation c. Much easier to read.

I think it is very nice. Clean and simple. I am not a huge fan of that shade of purple, but It's a nice composition. I like to play around with Cicle, Geosans, Lane and Kabel when I am in need of a typeface that is round and curvy like Avant Garde. I am not familiar with Justus. Thanks for enlightening me. Are the lowercase g's as beautiful as the a's?

j

I don't mind the all-caps so much. It's not as if it's body text or anything.

Still, suggestions for more interesting typefaces: Gotham, Neutraface, Dax or Gill Sans, all in light weight might suit your purpose.

The side with just your name on might also look good with a lighter shade of purple as the background instead of white.

Thanks guys.
Gotham is a really nice typeface, I wish I could afford all the families.

Here's a try in Lane with variations of a light purple background. I took some cyan out of the purple, too.

http://i40.tinypic.com/2efhpa9.jpg

After seeing some design inspiration I'm also throwing this reversed version into the ring. I think it'd be striking to have one dark side and one white side. I'm also playing with the idea of rounded corners. The corners get all bent up and stuff anyway.

http://i43.tinypic.com/2nkng8y.jpg

I like variation F and H the best out of these.

Think I would like it more if the text on the back was set a little tighter (letter and linespacing) and if the name on the front was positioned a bit lower so it's in the vertical stretch of the curve of the "a".

I like H. Nicely done.

j