Born in the deep ocean a new deck arises: DEEP SEA. Alicher Baynazarov, a talented graphic designer based in Belgium, has been inspired by underwater life to create a deck that combines complete customization with very clean minimalist designs. All graphic elements have been redesigned to offer us a different and charming deck. Fantastic characters decorate the court cards while the aces are represented with aquatic animals that blend in with the suit shapes. The symmetrical…
Ridiculous Gaming Studio is a young group of graphic designers who have decided to launch their first crowdfunding project: BICYCLE ALPHABET EDITION. As card and board games designers, these entrepreneurs wanted to create a high-quality deck with a recognizable brand, original look and completely customized. Thus, using the alphabet as a base concept, they have created some designs with simple but very interesting lines. The customization is complete and the color scheme is quite simple based on the…
Penguin Magic have always been present as an international reference for their wide catalogue of decks but also for their commitment to their own playing cards production partnering with all kinds of artists. Kevin Reylek, a versatile artist linked to the world of magic and entertainment and especially connected to Penguin Magic, offers us his latest release: SOLAIRE. Solaire is a set consisting of two decks inspired by the relationship between the universe and mathematics and specially designed for cardistry…
Only two months ago, Passione Cards launched a set of cards that were intended to be a hallmark of their quality and hard job over the years and for the future. Unfortunately the project didn’t reach the funding goal so along the last few weeks they have made some changes to achieve the success deserved in the EQUALITY and JUSTICE Playing Cards. For the relaunch, two key changes have been made: a new printer that would allow a better scalability…
I have always said that one of the greatest satisfactions in my work on this website over the years is to have been able to meet new creators (and the great people behind them) and do my part in making their dreams come true, especially in their very first deck project. A few days ago I met Steven Summers, an explorer of art in motion who has been working in the creative video world for many years. Now he is…
David Goldklang (Vanda Cards) has produced a good number of decks over the past few years. Now he is facing one of his most ambitious projects: CARDISTRY CLUB. With this name, an idea that goes far beyond a card project is presented. Starting from the exponential worldwide growth of the cardistry movement, David wants to create a new community around the playing cards design in which cardistry fans can have new and varied decks on a monthly basis and, at the…
Sometimes I receive questions from my readers about stocks and finishes used to print playing cards. Although a thorough analysis of this topic would require a much longer article, it is possible to learn important aspects by observing the features of new releases. A good example is the new release by Di Fatta Magic: BICYCLE SUPREME LINE deck. Its appearance is that of a standard Bicycle rider back deck, with the traditional tuck case in red and blue colors. However…
The representation of Iustitia, the Roman goddess heiress of the Greek Dice, has traditionally been linked to a woman holding a scale in one hand to symbolize the balance between truth and justice and a sword in the other hand to show the strength of its application. From the 15th century, a blindfold was added to the iconography to indicate that the justice must be impartial. With this inspiration, the artist John Cho and Passione Cards Team have created the EQUALITY…
In 2012, magician Alex Pandrea launched a simple idea into the market that became something completely revolutionary: the NOC deck. With completely standard faces and solid colored backs, the NOC deck burst into the market and quickly became an essential item in the pocket of any magician or cardist. Since then, dozens of different colors and editions have been released both by the original creator and by different companies that wanted to print their personal stamp on an already legendary…
In 2013, Dan&Dave, well-known magicians and businessmen, partnered with Bruce Lee Enterprises to create a new deck inspired by the most universal of martial arts masters: BRUCE LEE. The deck was produced to become an icon of Bruce Lee’s philosophy through a set of his most popular quotes. The first edition was sold out very quickly and a few months later, in 2014, Art of Play launched the second edition with some small changes in the case with inner printing and…