NEW DECK -- Aurum from Encarded

[Don Boyer]

I have to be honest and say that I am not really fond of the backs of this deck. The fronts are really nice, but the backs seem too empty.

Look closer at the photo of the card back.  There's a wildly intricate line pattern running through the entire purple area of the card back.

I think they're freakin' gorgeous.

[Aaron]

I have to be honest and say that I am not really fond of the backs of this deck. The fronts are really nice, but the backs seem too empty.

Look closer at the photo of the card back.  There's a wildly intricate line pattern running through the entire purple area of the card back.

I think they're freakin' gorgeous.

Ahh I see that now, I think it should be brought out a little more then, like so it is a little more noticable.

And Paul, I am not really a huge fan of the colour, but thats just my opinion.

[Don Boyer]

I have to be honest and say that I am not really fond of the backs of this deck. The fronts are really nice, but the backs seem too empty.

Look closer at the photo of the card back.  There's a wildly intricate line pattern running through the entire purple area of the card back.

I think they're freakin' gorgeous.

Ahh I see that now, I think it should be brought out a little more then, like so it is a little more noticable.

And Paul, I am not really a huge fan of the colour, but thats just my opinion.

It likely shows up much better when seen with your own eyes rather than through a digital image.

I think there's practically no decks in purple, so it was a fine choice of color.  I'm guessing Lara (the Queen of Purple Writing) will be thrilled when she sees it.

[Paul Carpenter]

I'll certainly be making adjustments to the colors but it will definitely stay purple. Purple and gold are natural complements and also speak directly to the "royal elegance" I was aiming for. It's also a desperately needed change to the predominant colors we see on almost everything these days.

The design is purposefully simple but as Don pointed out also has incredibly intricacy upon further study. I like mixing opposites like that. the actual line design will probably have a metallic ink so it will shimmer off the main purple field and be quite "alive"

[NathanCanadas]

I have to be honest and say that I am not really fond of the backs of this deck. The fronts are really nice, but the backs seem too empty.

Look closer at the photo of the card back.  There's a wildly intricate line pattern running through the entire purple area of the card back.

I think they're freakin' gorgeous.

Ahh I see that now, I think it should be brought out a little more then, like so it is a little more noticable.

And Paul, I am not really a huge fan of the colour, but thats just my opinion.

It likely shows up much better when seen with your own eyes rather than through a digital image.

I think there's practically no decks in purple, so it was a fine choice of color.  I'm guessing Lara (the Queen of Purple Writing) will be thrilled when she sees it.

I was about to make the same comment as Aaron, but then I saw yours, Don, checked again, and actually think that this design is very awesome.
I am glad the back design will be purple, but I was wondering, could it be a darker shade of purple by any chance?

[Lara Krystle "Lane"]

I know for a fact I'm getting these! Its in my favourite color!!! PURPLE! goodness. Paul! I <3 you so much for making a purple deck! (no worries @moon.exe wonderland still holds a special place in my heart) But seriously... Great Job encarded for making yet another great designs. Keep up to awesome work.
As for this tone of purple. I have no qualms about it. I think the color is just fine. But I'm excited to see your little tweaks here and there (if you are going to).

AnywayMORE POWER Encarded!

[NathanCanadas]

I just zoomed in on the picture, and it seems like the faces also have the twirly design in the white background. Is it just me or is that real?

[Evan]

I just zoomed in on the picture, and it seems like the faces also have the twirly design in the white background. Is it just me or is that real?

It's very, very real. The faces and backs have that cool, intricate pattern.

[NathanCanadas]

I just zoomed in on the picture, and it seems like the faces also have the twirly design in the white background. Is it just me or is that real?

It's very, very real. The faces and backs have that cool, intricate pattern.

Then that's a really awesome idea! Do any decks have a custom background design on the faces?

[Paul Carpenter]

The face pattern will be subtle but still visible.  It will also be a mirror of the pattern on the backs and will go all the way off the card in a borderless fashion, which should be quite nice looking in fans on either side.

Some decks have the dirt and grime effect on the faces (like the Americana) but I'm not aware of many decks that try to have an actual design feature on the faces. Other than Tendril of course.

[NathanCanadas]

Here is a teaser (from yesterday):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEwF7X-ONTI&feature=youtu.be
I think I've already seen it on these forums but I can't find where, so I'll post it again where it belongs, on this thread.

[Don Boyer]

I just zoomed in on the picture, and it seems like the faces also have the twirly design in the white background. Is it just me or is that real?

It's very, very real. The faces and backs have that cool, intricate pattern.

Then that's a really awesome idea! Do any decks have a custom background design on the faces?

Bicycle Americana, Bicycle Series 1800, Karnival Dose, Bicycle Karnival Dose Redux, Bicycle Karnival Dead Eyes, Bicycle Alchemy 1977...

I'm sure there's more out there, but Paul's take on it is much more unique and subtle.  It's like seeing a vast body of water - first, all you see is a vast blue space, but as you look closer, you see waves, ripples, whorls, maybe even some aquatic life.  There's more to it than just what's immediately apparent.

[Paul Carpenter]

I'm sure there's more out there, but Paul's take on it is much more unique and subtle.  It's like seeing a vast body of water - first, all you see is a vast blue space, but as you look closer, you see waves, ripples, whorls, maybe even some aquatic life.  There's more to it than just what's immediately apparent.

Don, you are a very perceptive man. That is almost precisely the concept behind the continuous line design I came up with (Venice being built on the water and all that...)

[Don Boyer]

I'm sure there's more out there, but Paul's take on it is much more unique and subtle.  It's like seeing a vast body of water - first, all you see is a vast blue space, but as you look closer, you see waves, ripples, whorls, maybe even some aquatic life.  There's more to it than just what's immediately apparent.

Don, you are a very perceptive man. That is almost precisely the concept behind the continuous line design I came up with (Venice being built on the water and all that...)

Why, thank you, good sir!  Good thing I added "Consultant to the Playing Card Industry" to my business card!

[Paul Carpenter]

After a Tendril-induced delay, work on Aurum has started back up. With the back design pretty much locked in, one of the first steps for final production is a technical process of spot color separations. The back design will be done in 4 specific ink colors, so each one needs to be defined in its own "channel."

As you can see, each color is separate and they don't overlap, but lay them all on top of each other and you get the complete picture.

A similar process will have to be done for the faces as well, since those will feature spot metallic colors. More to come later!

[Evan]

I think it's super cool to see the whole back design separated by those parts. It's very interesting.

[Don Boyer]

This will probably be one of the most intricate back designs ever printed by USPC.  It's very beautiful - let's hope they can do it justice.

Will you be using metallic inks on the fronts for the "black" and "red" colors of the suit pips and values?  One of my favorite decks is the Bicycle Premier precisely because it uses the metallic inks on every card, not just one of the two primary colors of the deck.  I like the Titanium Editions from T11 but always thought it looked odd to have metallic red and flat black (and a blue that looks more like gray!).

[Paul Carpenter]

As a quick FYI, artwork is complete on Aurum and is currently at USPCC being reviewed and getting ready for proofs. To answer Don's question above, yes all of the cards feature metallic inks. Spot cards have gold or purple along with a near-black metallic, and court cards will feature a bit of all three. They should be pretty shimmery and interesting. The subtle continuous line in the background of the faces will be normal black ink (though very light in tone). That line on the back will be metallic over a solid purple field.

The tuck case will also have some interesting features, which I will share more about later. Some things need to remain secret for a while, but if they can coordinate it properly it will be a special & unique thing...

Also, just in case you didn't see it, there is a little Facebook giveaway happening right now, so go check that out. You might win this sample deck:

[Gunshy1]

so damn excited for this deck! and its great to hear it wont be over kickstarter even though that probably means ill have to pay shipping this time around.

Quick random question... when can the backers that pledged for the clips expect them to be shipped?

[Paul Carpenter]

Gunshy, BELIEVE ME, I want to ship the clips. The color ones are getting their lacquer and hopefully will be done in the near future. Conjuring Creations posted a pic of a black one a few days ago. I don't have dates for completion (the shop making them just doesn't give updates) but once the colors are done all the rest of the clips will go out.

[Paul Carpenter]

Another fun thing, straight from the mouth of USPCC. Some special things in store.

[Gunshy1]

Gunshy, BELIEVE ME, I want to ship the clips. The color ones are getting their lacquer and hopefully will be done in the near future. Conjuring Creations posted a pic of a black one a few days ago. I don't have dates for completion (the shop making them just doesn't give updates) but once the colors are done all the rest of the clips will go out.

awesome, sounds great!

as for the aurum deck what will the price range be? with such an expensive tuck will they be in the 10$ range?

[Evan]

Gunshy, BELIEVE ME, I want to ship the clips. The color ones are getting their lacquer and hopefully will be done in the near future. Conjuring Creations posted a pic of a black one a few days ago. I don't have dates for completion (the shop making them just doesn't give updates) but once the colors are done all the rest of the clips will go out.

awesome, sounds great!

as for the aurum deck what will the price range be? with such an expensive tuck will they be in the 10$ range?

I have no clue but my guess would be $8.95 for $9.95

[Paul Carpenter]

Currently I'm planning on having them the same as Tendril, $9.95. I don't have the final quotes from USPCC on the cost, but Aurum will most likely end up there. There will also be some special items and the like, just as with my last deck.

[Paul Carpenter]

Sneak peek at a special collector display item:

http://encarded.com/index.php?id=36