Federal 52 and Gold Certificate Bicycle decks. A lot of money used to create them. Interview to the creator, Jackson Robinson
It is for sure one of he coolest designs this year. Jackson Robinson, a young designer full of talent, surprised the playing cards community with his card designs inspired by banknotes. The success has been so high that there are already two designs, Federal 52 and Gold Certificate, in four different decks planed to be produce by USPCC, two of them Bicycle branded.
Although he stated less than $8,000 as the funding goal, he as already got near $100,000 funding with still 6 days to the deadline.
I have had the chance to talk to him and he has answered some questions. I hope you enjoy the interview.
- Max – Hello Jackson, thanks for answering some questions for Max Playing Cards’ readers. How did you begin your work as a designer?
- Jackson Robinson – I usually begin my creation process by gathering tons of references images and engraving designs from bank notes that I like and want to try and incorporate into my designs. I then you just start sketching either on paper or digitally.
- Max – When and why did you decided to design a deck of cards?
- Jackson – I have always had an interest in both Bank note design and also playing card design. When came across kickstarter and the possibility of actually making the Federal 52 deck a reality that is when I started actually pulling together the idea into an actual plan of attack for the deck.
- Max – Is this one your first deck project?
- Jackson – Yes, this is my first deck project, and will most definitely NOT be the last. The incredible support I have received from people all around the world makes it so easy to want to do another deck.
- Max – Are you alone on this project?
- Jackson – In terms of the actual design of the cards, yes I am alone. I hand draw every single line on every single card. However there are two people that have made the Federal 52 project possible. My wife who is my biggest supporter and puts up with my hours and hours on the computer working. Also my brother, Taylor is a huge part of my creative process. He owns a production company in Birmingham, Alabama. He shot and edited my promo video which I think was and still is a big contributor to the success of the Federal 52 Deck. He and I also shoot ideas back and forth all the time about things we want to create. We actually came up with the idea together talking about different deck possibilities. My hope is to grow The Kings Wild Project which is my own design company and will also be my own Playing Card Company, into something that is much bigger than just an occasional Kickstarter project.
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- Max – Are you interested on cards beyond your designing job?
- Jackson – I’m in no way a cardist, magician, or poker player, but I have always loved playing poker. And when I say poker I mean old style poker where the dealer gets to choose the game. I love Texas Hold’em but I grew up playing dealer choice poker with my Dad, and that is what I love and have great memories of.
- Max – Tell me about your favorite playing cards designs
- Jackson – I actually don’t know that many different deck designs. My experience has been pretty short. Some that I really like are Theory 11’s Monarch design. I think the back design is very solid, and I used that as a benchmark for quality and craftsmanship.
- Max – Any plans for the next future?
- Jackson– I will be producing many more decks to come, and my hope is to establish a name for my self in the card design community. When people pick up a Kings Wild Deck I want them to know that it will be of the Highest Quality in both cards and most importantly unparalleled in design and detail.
- Max – Jackson, thank you so much for your kindness. I really wish you the very best on your current and next projects and count on Max Playing Cards to spread the voice about your art!
Enjoy the photo gallery and have a look to the high resolution images of decks and cards. Visit the project website to pledge and for more info.