Playing Card suit symbols

[Oleanna]

So we are struggling with a design question. Previously on our decks we included the suit symbols over the image on the cards. So, for example, the five of hearts would have five heart symbols over the image. However, some have told us that they are not really necessary as the suit symbol is in the corner and when the cards are held in the hand, the images are hidden in any case. There are those who collect the cards just for the images and so they actually prefer not to have the artwork covered up. In our latest deck, we omitted the suit symbols over the images and added an image caption at the bottom. So far, no complaints. But I would like to know the opinion of the rest of the community. Our first deck is almost out of stock and we want to re-release this deck in a slightly revised format and we can't decide if we should include the suit symbols over the images or not. I would be interested to hear the opinions of both players as well as collectors.

Thanks for the input!

Huggers,
- Oleanna

[lms_jam]

Do you have any sample artwork to show so we can see what you are trying to achieve?

[Oleanna]

Yes, we have three decks already printed. However, if anyone is offended by artistic nudity, THEN DO NOT CLICK ANY OF THE LINKS BELOW:
The first deck we printed, which we are about to revise, is here: http://www.sensual-goddess.com/SG-playing-cards.php
Our most recent deck, in which we decided to remove the pips is here: http://www.sensual-goddess.com/Sensual-Goddess-of-Dark-Fantasy.php This deck is a sort of "Game of Thrones" motif and so we were expecting that fans of this genre may wish to collect them and so the images may be more important than the pips.

[Don Boyer]

Yes, we have three decks already printed. However, if anyone is offended by artistic nudity, THEN DO NOT CLICK ANY OF THE LINKS BELOW:
The first deck we printed, which we are about to revise, is here: http://www.sensual-goddess.com/SG-playing-cards.php
Our most recent deck, in which we decided to remove the pips is here: http://www.sensual-goddess.com/Sensual-Goddess-of-Dark-Fantasy.php This deck is a sort of "Game of Thrones" motif and so we were expecting that fans of this genre may wish to collect them and so the images may be more important than the pips.

In the case of "art decks," where the art is being showcased, it's more form over function and yes, it's common to leave out the pip images in the body of the card in exchange for more room for the artwork.  There are countless examples of this, but one of the more popular would be from British artist Anne Stokes, who specializes in fantasy imagery and has designed a handful of decks under the Bicycle brand and for Alchemy 1977 England as well as independently.  As long as you have a nice, clear, easy-to-read index in the corner, you'll be fine.

[Oleanna]

Thanks Don! I really appreciate the reply!