The Vívido Playing Card Deck by Nic Carter (KS)

[Rob Wright]

The Vívido Playing Card Deck

[Don Boyer]

Imagine smushing together two Uusi decks, Bohemia and Hotcakes.  This might be the end result - and not in a good way.  Don't ask me why, but this project screams "boring" to me in many languages...

[NCarter]

Any feedback will be much appreciated!

[Rob Wright]

Welcome to the forum Nic. I combined your topic with the one that was already started. I just helps keep the place tidy. Good luck with your project.

[NCarter]

Just to note the playing card backs have been updated;





Don, thanks for your input ...nice hat BTW, you remind me of a mix between Indiana Jones and Lex Luthor - in a funny way of course

[Justin O.]

Like the idea, but it needs tweaking. I would try adding a border to the courts and not cutting out the pip on the king. They illustrations are nice but the cards are really missing something, the royalty feels out of place without embelishment or background, or something to give them context. The negative space here is killing the design, not emphasizing it.

[Don Boyer]

Don, thanks for your input ...nice hat BTW, you remind me of a mix between Indiana Jones and Lex Luthor - in a funny way of course

Here's a better assessment.

It looks like you're trying to make an art deck - but rather than displaying art on all the cards, you're displaying it just in the courts, with splashes of color on the spot cards and mostly standard configurations of the pips, aside from 9 and 10 - 9, by the way, is very off-center vertically.

The indices aren't of a uniform distance from the corner of the card - and in the case of the visible Kings, you're missing an entire index.  The purpose of the two-headed court card wasn't because someone felt like doing it that way - it's because when a player has to rotate a card in his hand, it's a sure giveaway that the card is a court card.  In your case, your players would only be giving up the Kings...  So that's a little better...

Those splashes of color?  They can be used as a marking system from the deck's edge.  Someone with a keen eye and good memory can learn the patterns of each card and identify them.  Same goes for the court images that extending into the bleed.

Lastly, I have yet to see a deck with a £1,000 budget that was worth 12 quid a pack.  Yours is quite possibly the most expensive paper playing card deck ever offered on Kickstarter; if it isn't, I'd wager it's in the top ten, possibly even the top five.

I don't like the design, personally - but that doesn't mean I can't spot the artistic merit of the work.  My advice to you, assuming you're not too deep into your project to make such changes, is to go with this as a full-blown art deck.  Put art and not just watercolor blobs on all the spot cards and get rid of the pips altogether.  An art deck isn't meant to be terribly practical in terms of play, and you are showcasing your art on your courts already.  Oh, and put those second indices on the Kings!

I think you'd find there's more interest in the project with these changes - you could possibly make a stretch goal for yourself of printing with a high-quality but affordable printer like Legends or Expert.  If you get even more cash, you could offer to print with the US Playing Card Company (USPC), perhaps even create a Bicycle-branded version of the deck.  There are collectors that specialize in just Bicycle-branded decks, and they've been feeling a bit burned lately as all kinds of horrible decks have come out with their beloved brand.  This deck could be attractive enough for them to make it a must-have for their collections - as long as you get the Bicycle brand name on it.

Want more advice?  Contact me.  I offer consultancy services for playing card designers.

I wish you luck with your design.  Just because I'm not a fan, doesn't mean I wish for you to fail, especially not in this case, because I can appreciate that there are people who would find something along these lines very desirable.  Diversity in this great hobby of deck collecting is a cornerstone that will help keep it alive and new.

[NCarter]

Thanks Don, providing this deck goes well I think I might actually step up to the challenge of creating a professional players deck with all the points you raised, maybe a stretch goal could be a full bicycle printed deck, who knows.

Its definitely food for thought!

Might have to compromise with this;

[Don Boyer]

Thanks Don, providing this deck goes well I think I might actually step up to the challenge of creating a professional players deck with all the points you raised, maybe a stretch goal could be a full bicycle printed deck, who knows.

Its definitely food for thought!

Might have to compromise with this;

That's an improvement.  Players like having two indices.  American players on the whole prefer two, in fact.

I'm wondering how closely you listened to the advice.  I mentioned making this a full-blown art deck, you instead mentioned stepping up to "the challenge of creating a professional players deck with all the points you raised."  It's like I suggested you paint a wall red and you replied that you'll consider my suggestion of painting the wall green, all while leaving most of the wall the original purple color you liked before asking for my suggestion.

If you want to promote your deck, fine.  But don't go asking for advice and not bothering to pay attention to what's offered.  It comes across as phony.