Military Cards!

[tewodros.getenet]

Hi guys,

This my first post ever! I would like to ask you what you think of a deck that I am designing. The theme is military. I have attached two queen cards. Please comment on what your thoughts are.

Now here is the problem - I want to use indiegogo for my project crowdfunding. Is this a good idea? How much of a difference does kickstarter actually make?

Also the cards are going to be 100% plastic. So it will be a bit more expensive than you average deck. Right now I am thinking of pricing it @ 20$. What is the paper gsm of the bicycle decks?

Thanks!

[Rob Wright]

welcome to the forum tewodros.getenet.

You have a few issues there.
There is not a huge following on Indiegogo. You should use Kickstarter if possible. There is a bigger following and there is no partial funding, so backers feel more secure.
Plastic cards are OK, but like you said they will be expensive. Plastic or not, most people won't back a deck of cards for $20, unless it is really special. Please don't take any offense to that. There are a few designers out there that have a huge following, and already have a backer base. I would start with a paper deck at first.
The last thing I would say, is try to print with either USPCC, EPCC, or LPCC. Yes they have higher minimums then some smaller printers, but the quality will make a huge difference.
Good Luck with your project!

I'm going to move this to the Design and Development section because it's still a work in progress.

[tewodros.getenet]

Thanks!

What do you think of the designs?

[Rob Wright]

I'm not a professional, so as far as layout, I am not the one to ask. The one big issue I see on the QOH- something is not lined up properly. The boat is overlapping the "Q" on one end. Once you show us the back, tuck, and a few more cards. We will be able to give a better opinion. With not much to go on yet, It's just not the style of cards that I typically collect.

[Don Boyer]

My thoughts on this deck...

The artwork isn't bad, really.  But it needs refinement.  Have you ever seen computer-generated artwork that blatantly looks like computer-generated artwork?  It never looks good when it's moved to print media.  Yours, I hate to say it, fits the bill.  And I'm not even getting into the little design flaws, the most glaring of which being the non-uniform indices from card to card...

IndieGoGo is not the best place to fund your deck.  They've had few successful deck projects and the way in which they handle funds is suspect at best - and this isn't even factoring in things like "flexible funding."  I once backed a fixed-funding project on IGG which the creator canceled shortly after launch.  I learned that IGG had already charged my account for the pledge and was holding the money - and they didn't plan to return it until the project itself lapsed, since they don't allow creators to cancel projects!  I made a complaint and they relented, refunding my money in a more timely manner, but it's not an experience I'd recommend to anyone.

The idea of making the deck plastic?  BAD.  It becomes prohibitively expensive.  Wait until you're an established card designer with a few successes under your belt and perhaps people will be willing to back a $20 deck of cards from you - but I don't see that happening now.

Refine your idea and your art a little more.  This forum's a good place to do that.

Lastly, an important piece of advice.  Military decks have been done before.  It's not quite at the level of a cliché just yet, but it's slowly getting there.  Zombie decks, steampunk decks, "minimal" decks - there's been a lot of decks made in each of these categories.  If you want to tackle a concept that's been done before, you need to do it in a way that will stand out head-and-shoulders above what came before it, or else it's just another "me too" deck.  Think of it like this: we all remember which team was the first to climb to the peak of Mount Everest - but practically no one remembers the 12th, the 40th, or the 183rd.  If you aren't the first, you need to be the best, or you need to be the first in a new way - for example, if the 12th team to the top leapt off in a wing suit and flew the entire way down, they're no longer the 12th to the top: they're the first to reach from top to bottom by air and most likely in record time, as well!  Same thing if the 40th team up held "Burning Man Nepal" on the summit, complete with frozen porta-potty...

Simply put, what will you bring to a military deck design that hasn't been done before?

Oh, one last thing - be careful about US Army designs.  Jackson Robinson's "Army Deck" is officially licensed from the US Army.  He (or his lawyer) might have something to say about your designs if you encroach on his IP territory...