Brite Neon Deck (KS)

[xx789m]

From the creator's bio:
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I am pleased to announce that I am finally launching a new deck of Poker Sized Playing Cards. My hope is that you will enjoy this deck. I invested some time and effort to create what I feel is a Quality Design and I hope that you agree. If this Project is well received and reaches its goal , I would enjoy creating more decks in the future. I will use the proceeds to upgrade necessary computer gear and software with which to produce more designs. I Love the Graphic Arts. Please join with me and back this project. Thanks in Advance for your support. Ron
Also a friend of mine and I have been collaborating and in the future he will offer his own design. Please help us to raise necessary funds to expand our operation. Thanks. I have prepared several versions of this deck and I think you will be well pleased with some of my future offerings also.
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Looks like it will potentially be a limited edition collector's set! Get on board now! Almost 20% funded!! Well, $85, but still almost 20%.

That may be Pesos.

does that mean his friend is going to put out another torture device?!?!?!

[Alex Willis]

I finally figured it out!!  These are white elephant gifts for the holidays.  I am so on board, I'm buying a brick.  (better hope you're not on my christmas list).  But seriously, these would be great gag gifts for people who know you are a card collector.  you entice them because you know a thing or two about cards, then you excite them more by telling them that these are part of a rare limited edition release of the deck by a new start up company, and then blamo!!  P.S.  You will need to make sure you have a designated driver who never actually looks at the deck directly as you can expect vision to be impaired for a few hours. 

Seriously, I am pledging on a deck now.  Just the one.  I have the perfect person for this deck.  Buah ha ha.

[John B.]

Alex, that's a very good point...maybe a plain white tuck with a "DANGER!!! STAY AWAY!!" skull and crossbones on it? Maybe a locking Porper clip? The color might burn through the shipping package and melt my mailbox as well.

Well, you'll never lose any cards...they will definitely pop out against any other background!

I wouldn't mind losing some of these cards!

All these cards will be, something the kickstarter page calls "Printed on Linen Stock"

What in the world is linen stock and why does it remind me of notecards?

Nowadays there is no linen stock. That is an option on stock USPCC use to offer. Or was that the name of the finish. Don will correct me when he gets he. He is better then spell check.

[Don Boyer]

Nowadays there is no linen stock. That is an option on stock USPCC use to offer. Or was that the name of the finish. Don will correct me when he gets he. He is better then spell check.

"Spellchecking" is NOT enough.  For instance, your sentence SHOULD HAVE READ:

Nowadays, there is no linen stock. That is an option on stock USPCC used to offer. Or was that the name of the finish? Don will correct me when he gets here. He is better than spell check. 

Linen was a popular card finish, created by using cloth rollers made of linen to apply the coating.  These days, they only use steel.  When you see "Linen Finish", it's being used as a trade name, much like "Linoid", "Cambric", "Ivory", "Air Cushion", etc.

Linen stock is indeed used in high-grade paper and stationery, so named because it is made at least in part of actual linen fibers (stronger than wood fibers).

[xx789m]

Nowadays there is no linen stock. That is an option on stock USPCC use to offer. Or was that the name of the finish. Don will correct me when he gets he. He is better then spell check.

"Spellchecking" is NOT enough.  For instance, your sentence SHOULD HAVE READ:

Nowadays, there is no linen stock. That is an option on stock USPCC used to offer. Or was that the name of the finish? Don will correct me when he gets here. He is better than spell check. 

Linen was a popular card finish, created by using cloth rollers made of linen to apply the coating.  These days, they only use steel.  When you see "Linen Finish", it's being used as a trade name, much like "Linoid", "Cambric", "Ivory", "Air Cushion", etc.

Linen stock is indeed used in high-grade paper and stationery, so named because it is made at least in part of actual linen fibers (stronger than wood fibers).

well thats what this guy is using!

[Don Boyer]

Linen stock is indeed used in high-grade paper and stationery, so named because it is made at least in part of actual linen fibers (stronger than wood fibers).

well thats what this guy is using!

It's what he SAID he was using.  NO ONE uses linen stock to make professional-grade playing cards these days.  I'm certain he simply meant "linen finish".  Or that he doesn't know the difference and has no business designing playing cards without some serious help and advice...

[BiggerDee]

Don needs to be a professional spelling/grammar checker for KS campaigns. I have been cringing lately and the incredible amount of blatant spelling and grammar errors in KS campaign descriptions, not to mention creator e-mails. If you can't type a grammatically correct, or even remotely close, description for your campaign, I'm seeing red flags before I even pledge. I'm definitely not perfect in this regard, but I will always strive to be. KS allows individuals to submit their idea and business plan (campaign) to potential buyers (investors). If it's all thrown together and sounds like a 4 year old wrote it, people will stay far away.

Grammar and spelling aside, creators should know exactly what they will be using simply based on conversations with their printer in the pre-campaign planning stages. All creators have a valid, extensively thought out plan in place before they start, correct? ;-)

[xx789m]

Don needs to be a professional spelling/grammar checker for KS campaigns. I have been cringing lately and the incredible amount of blatant spelling and grammar errors in KS campaign descriptions, not to mention creator e-mails. If you can't type a grammatically correct, or even remotely close, description for your campaign, I'm seeing red flags before I even pledge. I'm definitely not perfect in this regard, but I will always strive to be. KS allows individuals to submit their idea and business plan (campaign) to potential buyers (investors). If it's all thrown together and sounds like a 4 year old wrote it, people will stay far away.

Grammar and spelling aside, creators should know exactly what they will be using simply based on conversations with their printer in the pre-campaign planning stages. All creators have a valid, extensively thought out plan in place before they start, correct? ;-)

I wish making a better deck was part of this guy's plan!

[Don Boyer]

Don needs to be a professional spelling/grammar checker for KS campaigns.

I already am - it's part of my services as a consultant!  I did it for Uusi's Bohemia deck and will be doing it again for their Royal Optik deck, coming soon.

[BiggerDee]

I am embarrassed, and a little scared, to admit it, but I'm actually thinking of getting one for a gag gift.

ManMadeGames, you planted the seed! If I get a deck of these in the mail and my mailbox catches on fire as a result, it's on you!! ;-)

No, just can't make myself do it. I re-read the "Risks and challenges", and love the following tidbits (my emphasis):

My print facility offers Drop Shipping service. So I do not foresee any obstacles to smooth printing and delivery of this item. I placed an order with them for a Prototype deck and I was well pleased with the result. They are accustomed to large orders involving hundreds and even thousands of decks. I am relying upon the print facility to both print and distribute the decks. For this reason I limited the number of decks to a number small enough for them to accommodate without encountering any problems. I am confident they are up to the task.


Just...wow.

[xx789m]

I am embarrassed, and a little scared, to admit it, but I'm actually thinking of getting one for a gag gift.

ManMadeGames, you planted the seed! If I get a deck of these in the mail and my mailbox catches on fire as a result, it's on you!! ;-)

No, just can't make myself do it. I re-read the "Risks and challenges", and love the following tidbits (my emphasis):

My print facility offers Drop Shipping service. So I do not foresee any obstacles to smooth printing and delivery of this item. I placed an order with them for a Prototype deck and I was well pleased with the result. They are accustomed to large orders involving hundreds and even thousands of decks. I am relying upon the print facility to both print and distribute the decks. For this reason I limited the number of decks to a number small enough for them to accommodate without encountering any problems. I am confident they are up to the task.


Just...wow.

so no USPCC..........................If the design is that bad the LEAST he can do wouldbe to make the cards a decent quality




So I asked this guy a question on kickstarter and called him out on "linen stock" and the whole "ace/7 of spades thingy"

[Don Boyer]

so no USPCC..........................If the design is that bad the LEAST he can do wouldbe to make the cards a decent quality

Bad decks have to aim low in order to succeed - USPC costs too much for most of them.

[Alex Willis]

I'm personally working through all my bad deck ideas so that all I'm left are the bright, shiny glittery ones. 

#1.  I believe a well done Neon Light deck would be cool
#2.  I believe you separate yourself from serious buyers when you don't suck it up and make it a USPCC deck
#3.  I still can't see right ever since I looked at the photos on page 1, can't someone remove those?

[xx789m]

I sent him a message............here's the reply: "I am just relaying the term used by my print facility when they call it Linen. I ordered a prototype deck and it has a bit of a textured surface. The cards slide well over one another but cling enough so that they don't slide like plastic ones do. They have just the right flexibility and stiffness to handle well. I am not a professional magician or dealer but the card stock is adequate and comparable to other decks that i own. I have purchased a variety of cards and they qualify as a decent basic deck. I would not call them exceptional or superior in stock quality but average in weight, feel. and durability. I am using Printer Studio to produce the actual cards. I found them online. They were easy to communicate with and had a sophisticated means of uploading and dealing with the digital artwork that I found user friendly. What you see in the video is just a run through of a folder containing a variety of cards. I spotted that flaw earlier myself as well but just kind of threw the video together and forgot to remove it from the list. That card has already been corrected. There are many versions of every card. It is the basis for a whole spectrum of different styles."

[Alex Willis]

I am just relaying the term used by my print facility when they call it Linen.

It's 310gsm from makeplayingcards.com and it does have a nice smooth movement and a linen like feel to the cards.  I like them (the finish not this deck).

Bad decks have to aim low in order to succeed - USPC costs too much for most of them.

Sometimes it's just a matter of know how, if you are an artist and you have an idea for a playing card deck and you create it, you have no idea who you should get to print your cards and how much it'll cost.  You have no understanding why your deck isn't doing as well as others, especially when you think the art is good.  So I would not say all decks with low buy in is a bad deck, just one that didn't gain any advice before hand.  But all decks could use help editing, the best ones get the advise!

[xx789m]

I then mentioned our opinions of the deck............this was his reply "The whole point of creating a deck with Harsh, Blinding Intense Colors is to capture the ridicule of fellows such as yourself. You fail to see the point here. The point is that by provoking your ridicule I have captured your attention.The Cards are as I purposely intended them to be. They were not designed to appeal to everyone. I like bold color. Other test came out dull in the transfer from digital to print. I Prefer the Brighter Cards over the dull ones. I can appreciate that not everyone likes such intensity and you have not offended me with your honesty. Thanks for the feedback, Ron."




he has a point...............

[Don Boyer]

Bad decks have to aim low in order to succeed - USPC costs too much for most of them.

Sometimes it's just a matter of know how, if you are an artist and you have an idea for a playing card deck and you create it, you have no idea who you should get to print your cards and how much it'll cost.  You have no understanding why your deck isn't doing as well as others, especially when you think the art is good.  So I would not say all decks with low buy in is a bad deck, just one that didn't gain any advice before hand.  But all decks could use help editing, the best ones get the advise!

While not all decks that aim low are bad, bad decks have to aim low or simply crash and burn.  Now, by "bad" I'm not simply referring to a personal opinion, such as "I think the Smoke & Mirrors version 7 decks are all bad, they're terrible, ugly, etc."  I'm referring to how the deck shatters most conventions for playing card design, and without a really good reason for doing so.  The art may or may not be bad, just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder - but the difference between good and bad design is a little more cut-and-dried.  There's no such thing as the perfectly-designed deck for everyone, but there are guidelines that make the deck better for a particular purpose in terms of the target audience.

Art deck lovers want to see gorgeous art all the way to the edge of the card with the indices being as unobtrusive as possible.  Poker players are traditionalists, preferring more straight-forward designs, but if they're Texas Hold 'Em players, as most poker players are these days, they have two conflicting needs - the desire for a small index to be easily peeked without being revealed to other players (but still large enough to read) and a large index for easy readability of the community cards presented by the dealer.  Magicians, collectors, cardists, little children, women (and men with small hands) - everyone has a particular need that a target design can fulfill.  This deck only fulfills the desire to be blinded while attempting to use them.

[Alex Willis]

I then mentioned our opinions of the deck............this was his reply "The whole point of creating a deck with Harsh, Blinding Intense Colors is to capture the ridicule of fellows such as yourself. You fail to see the point here. The point is that by provoking your ridicule I have captured your attention.The Cards are as I purposely intended them to be. They were not designed to appeal to everyone. I like bold color. Other test came out dull in the transfer from digital to print. I Prefer the Brighter Cards over the dull ones. I can appreciate that not everyone likes such intensity and you have not offended me with your honesty. Thanks for the feedback, Ron."

Sounds like a blah blah poor excuse for an ugly deck.  However, there are 6 people who like his art, so I guess you could say that he's marketing to a niche market.  (a very niche I live in a dark hole and need more light market).  Kidding aside, I'd like to see a deck with creatively designed neon shapes, I think it could be totally cool while still giving a flashy in your face statement which was probably his intent.

[sprouts1115]

Don't you realize this is the deck of Satan.  Slowly, you will want the intriguing plain white tuck box, then eventually,  you  need   the    box!!!!    ahhh! get out of my head!...

[Bill Collins]

After 20 minutes of refocusing my eyes, I needed a good laugh, so went throw here and reading all the commits, I about shit my self with laughter.

I think if I was the creator, I would dig a hole and die, knowing that this will follow me for the rest of my life.

[Alex Willis]

Wow!  He is up to 16 supporters with and is 60% to goal!!  (of $500).  The only thing that could've made this deck better is if he had UV sensitive ink!  Then it would be just as trippy in black light.  You know, if you get little stands for the cards, they'd make excellent road markers if your car breaks down.  Those triangle things are so hard to see while these cards would warn oncoming drivers... DANGER, seriously ugly shit ahead!!

[Don Boyer]

I dug a little deeper into this project.  Every comment left in the overall Comments section for the project was written by the creator!  He also reveals this on the home page:

"We both love Graphic Design and Producing Quality Artwork."

But states in the Comments and several of the updates that he's still learning to use Adobe Photoshop, playing around with the settings.

Ron, if you love Graphic Design so much, why are you torturing it so?

Here's my "favorite" update, entitled "Pondering My Next Deck Project."  It was update #3 of 10 so far, and there's no text, just this image, below.  Not even halfway into pushing his first project, he's working on the second.  It's my fave because it has no images of eye-melting playing cards, like most of the other updates...

Sixteen backers.  There's a sucker born every minute, as well as a person who wouldn't know good design from a whack in the head with a cinderblock.  This guy found sixteen of them and counting.

[BiggerDee]

Limited edition...you could be one of only 18 people on earth to be fortunate enough to hold a deck of these beauts in your hand! Well, at least up until the point where they burned through your flesh.

[Curt]

Close, but not quite the same s**t that was being discussed here.

Haha, I've got that taken care of.

But states in the Comments and several of the updates that he's still learning to use Adobe Photoshop, playing around with the settings.

Who would have guessed It looks like he is playing around with the different filters now, judging by his photo.
 

[Bill Collins]

19 backers with 19 hours to go, only $60 short of his goal.