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Off Topic Chat => The Conversation Parlor => Topic started by: Nurul on December 14, 2013, 12:07:06 AM

Title: Top 5 designers
Post by: Nurul on December 14, 2013, 12:07:06 AM
So, come on guys (and girls), who are your top 5 designers. I've been mulling it over, and it was hard to decide but I've got my top 5:-
1. Uusi
2. Jackson Robinson
3. Shane Tyree
4. Mark Stutzman
5. Lee McKenzie
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: volantangel on December 14, 2013, 12:22:52 AM
1. Uusi
2. Jackson Robinson
3. Lee McKenzie
4. Paul Carpenter
5. Randy Butterfield
6. Lotrek

whoops i broke the rules

edit: after some consideration, i think i prefer lotreks work to 4pm designs, but its close, really close..
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: Don Boyer on December 14, 2013, 01:14:47 AM
In no particular order:

Uusi
Mark Stutzman
Jackson Robinson
Lotrek / Half Moon Playing Cards
Lee McKenzie
Special Mention: Sam Hayle / DOSE Productions - Big Blind Media

It's interesting to note that few people have (or will likely) choose a designer of a deck that's largely unaltered/not full custom.  We think of designers, we think of the ones with blow-you-away custom decks, though that doesn't mean the guy who developed, say, the Propaganda deck or the Centurions is somehow a lesser designer.  They just wouldn't be the first to pop into one's head.
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: John B. on December 14, 2013, 10:04:28 AM
Personally I am not a fan of Uusis work :(

For me - 1. Paul carpenter. I love his stuff
2. Jackson Robinson
3. Russel kercheval - even though quicksilver went to hell I enjoy his artwork
4. I dont know any other designers that well...
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: Sher143 on December 15, 2013, 09:36:37 PM
1. Paul Carpenter (Encarded)
2. Jackson Robinson
3. Lee McKenzie
4. Shane Tyree
5. Peter & Linnea (Uusi)
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: Rob Wright on December 16, 2013, 12:54:16 AM
Personally I am not a fan of Uusis work :(

I wasn't a huge fan to start. I hadn't started on KS until after Blue Blood and Bohemia. Royal Optik was the first deck I saw- I just didn't get it. It was so different then standard cards. I didn't see it, for what it was.
Then came BlueBlood Redux and Pagan. I got it, and love, love, love these cards. I'm now pissed at myself for not backing Royal Optik.



As far as naming 5 top designers- All listed are phenomenal. How do you leave any of these designers of a top 5?
Most of these guys have some of my money, and some have a lot of my money!
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: Fanofyankees13 on December 16, 2013, 12:58:05 AM
A few of my favorites are Jackson Robinson, Lance T. Miller, Paul Carpenter, Shane Tyree and Uusi.
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: ivan on December 16, 2013, 04:04:01 AM
Mine would be:

1. Uusi
2. Lee McKenzie
3. Jackson Robinson
4. Lotrek
5. Paul Carpenter
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: JacksonRobinson on December 17, 2013, 09:16:16 AM
UUSI
Mark Stutzman
Alex Chin
Paul
Vladislav Erko
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: Rob Wright on December 17, 2013, 11:25:40 AM
UUSI
Mark Stutzman
Alex Chin
Paul
Vladislav Erko

You forgot somebody. There's this guy on KS that's pretty good. I think his name is Jackson Robinson.     ;)
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: Don Boyer on December 17, 2013, 11:06:13 PM
UUSI
Mark Stutzman
Alex Chin
Paul
Vladislav Erko

You forgot somebody. There's this guy on KS that's pretty good. I think his name is Jackson Robinson.     ;)

He doesn't need to beat his own drum.  That's what the percussion section is for!  :))
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: john on December 18, 2013, 05:32:11 PM
In no particular order.

Uusi
Mark Stutzman
Randy Butterfield
Lee McKenzie
Paul Carpenter

Honorable Mention: Jackson, no doubt his work on Fed52 and Sherlock Holmes is fantastic, just neither of those decks really enticed me, hope that changes soon though :)
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: HandSkillz on December 18, 2013, 06:09:48 PM
1. Jackson
2. Stutzman
3. Carpenter
4. McKenzie

On the fence about Uusi, though I like the Bohemia design a lot.
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: Justin O. on December 18, 2013, 08:21:34 PM
Hard to choose a specific top Five, and I'm seeing a lot of the same names, Uusi, Robinson, McKenzie, all of the ones you guys have listed are amazing!
One I'm surprised I haven't seen and a personal favorite of mine is Chris Ovdiyenko, I'm a huge fan of his style and themes.
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: MagikFingerz on December 21, 2013, 05:18:55 PM
UUSI
Mark Stutzman
Alex Chin
Paul
Vladislav Erko

If I may ask: Who is that last chap?
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: Nurul on December 21, 2013, 05:46:45 PM
UUSI
Mark Stutzman
Alex Chin
Paul
Vladislav Erko

If I may ask: Who is that last chap?

http://youtu.be/82-3c7QFNHI
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: JacksonRobinson on December 21, 2013, 07:27:31 PM
UUSI
Mark Stutzman
Alex Chin
Paul
Vladislav Erko

If I may ask: Who is that last chap?


He is an Ukrainian illustrator that has (to my knowledge) created two of the most beautifully illustrated decks ever. I have been personally trying to seek him out but his contact info has proven to be non existant via the English Google. I want to reprint his decks under the Kings Wild label.

if you do a quick google search of his name + playing cards you will easily find images. I have been lucky enough to pick up both of his decks on ebay for around $70 each. Money very well spent.
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: HandSkillz on December 21, 2013, 08:30:00 PM
UUSI
Mark Stutzman
Alex Chin
Paul
Vladislav Erko

If I may ask: Who is that last chap?


He is an Ukrainian illustrator that has (to my knowledge) created two of the most beautifully illustrated decks ever. I have been personally trying to seek him out but his contact info has proven to be non existant via the English Google. I want to reprint his decks under the Kings Wild label.

if you do a quick google search of his name + playing cards you will easily find images. I have been lucky enough to pick up both of his decks on ebay for around $70 each. Money very well spent.

Can you post pics of the decks?
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: JacksonRobinson on December 21, 2013, 08:55:21 PM
UUSI
Mark Stutzman
Alex Chin
Paul
Vladislav Erko

If I may ask: Who is that last chap?


He is an Ukrainian illustrator that has (to my knowledge) created two of the most beautifully illustrated decks ever. I have been personally trying to seek him out but his contact info has proven to be non existant via the English Google. I want to reprint his decks under the Kings Wild label.

if you do a quick google search of his name + playing cards you will easily find images. I have been lucky enough to pick up both of his decks on ebay for around $70 each. Money very well spent.

Can you post pics of the decks?

Great Google Image Search of his decks. Apologies for being extremely lazy.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Vladislav+Erko+playing+cards&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Mka2Us7dHsfT2wWZkIHgCw&ved=0CEIQsAQ&biw=1219&bih=948 (https://www.google.com/search?q=Vladislav+Erko+playing+cards&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Mka2Us7dHsfT2wWZkIHgCw&ved=0CEIQsAQ&biw=1219&bih=948)
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: Don Boyer on December 22, 2013, 02:13:27 AM
I think I actually own one of his decks.  I bought a deck for my wife from eBay, an advertisement deck for a restaurant in the Ukraine.  Some of the art listed looks like it came from that deck.
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: PurpleIce on December 23, 2013, 12:55:06 PM
UUSI
Mark Stutzman
Alex Chin
Paul
Vladislav Erko

If I may ask: Who is that last chap?


He is an Ukrainian illustrator that has (to my knowledge) created two of the most beautifully illustrated decks ever. I have been personally trying to seek him out but his contact info has proven to be non existant via the English Google. I want to reprint his decks under the Kings Wild label.

if you do a quick google search of his name + playing cards you will easily find images. I have been lucky enough to pick up both of his decks on ebay for around $70 each. Money very well spent.

Can you post pics of the decks?

Great Google Image Search of his decks. Apologies for being extremely lazy.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Vladislav+Erko+playing+cards&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Mka2Us7dHsfT2wWZkIHgCw&ved=0CEIQsAQ&biw=1219&bih=948 (https://www.google.com/search?q=Vladislav+Erko+playing+cards&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Mka2Us7dHsfT2wWZkIHgCw&ved=0CEIQsAQ&biw=1219&bih=948)

I noticed the court cards put "B" "A" & "K" instead of the usual J Q K. Is there a reason for this or is it like Ukranian alphabet or something?
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: Don Boyer on December 24, 2013, 12:06:03 AM

I noticed the court cards put "B" "A" & "K" instead of the usual J Q K. Is there a reason for this or is it like Ukranian alphabet or something?

It's the Cyrillic script used in the Russian language.

В has a pronunciation more like a V does in English, as in VOICE.  The Russian "b" sound is actually this letter, Б.

What you identified as an A is actually a Д, which is pronounced like a D in English, as in DAY.

The Russian К looks a lot like the English K - it's a good thing they're pronounced much the same, like K in KEY.

The jack, queen and king of a Russian-language deck are валет (valet), дама (dama) and король (korol'), which are derived from the valet, dame and roi of Parisian decks.
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: Paul Carpenter on January 24, 2014, 01:31:42 PM
First, sincere thanks for including me in some of your lists. I am honored. :)

It's a tough one, picking a list like this. I have a top three for sure, as I've been lucky enough to have good conversations with these fellows and got insight into their passion and design outlook. I'll buy anything they ever make, no questions asked.

Jackson
Alex Chin
Emmanuel Jose

For the other two, that's quite tricky. So many people put out such amazing work. I think I would include Lee McKenzie on there. While it was rather "in-your-face" I loved the boldness of the Empire deck and some of his previous designs have reached iconic state. For my last pick, I think I would include Uusi. While I normally do not like illustrative work, they have crafted some great decks with excellent design.
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: Lotrek on January 24, 2014, 04:36:26 PM
I would include (in no particular order)

Chris Ovidyenko, Jackson, Sam Hayles, Paul Carpenter, Randy Butterfield.
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: Josh Blackmon on January 24, 2014, 07:28:59 PM
I came across Vladislav Erko's work a while back and immediately fell in love. I haven't gotten a deck yet but Gorgeous!
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: sprouts1115 on January 28, 2014, 07:19:10 PM
This was actually a question that was asked by one of the main deck reviews.  It was question #7, but never published.

7. Finally, what are your favourite playing card decks?

"Le Florentin" by Paul-Emile Becat, 1956  (Warning nudity)       This is the deck that inspired my to create my own deck of cards. 
 http://www.wopc.co.uk/france/philibert/le-florentin.html?=header (http://www.wopc.co.uk/france/philibert/le-florentin.html?=header)

"Memorirs de Casanova" by Paul-Emile Becat, 1960 (Warning nudity)    This deck proved to me you can have two different elements in the cards.  Also the transformation from one side of the card to the other is simply amazing.  Most of time people use a straight across approach or a diagonal approach.  This guy could put a foot by someone's ear and make it work. 
 http://www.wopc.co.uk/france/philibert/casanova.html
 (http://www.wopc.co.uk/france/philibert/casanova.html)

"Taras Bulba" by Vladislav Erko, 2006      The expression on the faces is exactly what I'm look for in the second deck.
 http://a.trionfi.eu/WWPCM/decks08/d06295/d06295.htm (http://a.trionfi.eu/WWPCM/decks08/d06295/d06295.htm)

What is the name of this deck?  I know it's by Vladislav Erko, 2012      Same thing the expressions on the faces are fantastic, but he went a bit darker in this deck. 
 http://www.21king.ru/ru/museum/?deck=g03557&country=ru  (http://www.21king.ru/ru/museum/?deck=g03557&country=ru)

"Federal 52" by Jackson Robinson, 2013   http://kings-wild-project.myshopify.com I see big things with this guy.  In fact, this is what I wrote about him when I first saw his cards when he was a nobody.  "what are you talking about? don't you see it? this is the new pedale. it's like the second coming of jesus. he should do very good."


I didn't want this text to go to waste. 


 
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: Duke Boy on January 28, 2014, 07:38:21 PM
I have my top four based on ability to create multiple decks that I have enjoyed
Uusi
Bent Castle
Emmanuel Jose (although on one has been printed so far)
Jackson
The fifth is a tie that might be able to be broke depending on the follow up to their 1st deck
Rick Davidson - Dave Boyd

Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: Josh Blackmon on February 02, 2014, 12:06:24 AM
I came across Vladislav Erko's work a while back and immediately fell in love. I haven't gotten a deck yet but Gorgeous!


After posting the previous comment I decided to grab a couple of Vladislav Erko decks while I could. They were worth the investment for the artwork alone. From my understanding, the larger deck was created for a restaurant and is at least a bit more uncommon than the smaller deck which on was a deck based off of traditional Ukrainian costumes. The smaller one had an apparent run of 10,000 decks and I do not know about the other. I'll give more information if I can find it. I want to get the translation for the words on the box as well. Anyhow, here is some eye candy!
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: rjtomlinson1977 on May 20, 2014, 12:59:44 AM
Lorenzo Gaggiotti
Chris Ovdiyenko
Lotrek
Randy Butterfield
Jackson Robinson
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: joejoey on August 04, 2014, 05:15:22 PM
My favourites in no particular order

Lorenzo Gaggiotti
Lotrek
Lee Mckenzie
Chris Ovdiyenko
Jackson Robinson

With UUSI, J.C Desevre and whoever did Theory 11`s Animal Kingdom deck getting honourable mentions.

Does anyone agree that UUSI's Pagan looks similar to the above mentioned Ukrainian artists work?
Title: Re: Top 5 designers
Post by: Don Boyer on August 05, 2014, 01:38:45 AM
My favourites in no particular order

Lorenzo Gaggiotti
Lotrek
Lee Mckenzie
Chris Ovdiyenko
Jackson Robinson

With UUSI, J.C Desevre and whoever did Theory 11`s Animal Kingdom deck getting honourable mentions.

Does anyone agree that UUSI's Pagan looks similar to the above mentioned Ukrainian artists work?

Only in that they have a painterly style to them.