Do custom cards need custom faces?

[MrMagicMan]

Hi there, I was just wondering as I would like to design a playing card which just has generic faces as they would suit the back design better. Would enough people still back my kickstarter and would having no custom faces actually drive people away and hinder the amount that get sold?

Thanks Toby

[Don Boyer]

There are some who would feel that the lack of faces isn't a real "custom" design - but not all would agree.  For some decks, especially those meant for use by professionals, a more standard face is preferred, with perhaps only small tweaks - maybe a unique color scheme on the courts or a deeper shade of red/lighter shade of black on the traditional pip/index colors.

I will say right off that a full-custom deck, requiring a higher amount of work, effort and creativity, will command a higher price more easily than something that's minimally customized, having only a unique back and perhaps unique jokers and Ace of Spades.  A minimally-custom design will still cost just as much to print, mind you, but you're not simply paying for the printing when you're buying a custom deck of cards, are you?

Some manage to bump up the production values in other ways, too - maybe they use metallic inks in their standard faces, or maybe they go all out with bells and whistles on the tube box like embossing, foil stamping, custom seals, etc.  That will help to make the project more appealing at a somewhat higher price, but a full-custom deck will still be thought of as more top-dollar than a nearly-standard deck in a fancy box.

[Robert Butler]

I would say no, but behind that I will also say you'd need a really catchy marketing campaign or story behind it in order for it to work.  Its not always enough to want to create something... You need substance.

[MrMagicMan]

Ok Thank you

[EndersGame]

Hi there, I was just wondering as I would like to design a playing card which just has generic faces as they would suit the back design better. Would enough people still back my kickstarter and would having no custom faces actually drive people away and hinder the amount that get sold?

This also depends on your target audience.  Magicians tend to like decks that have less customization, to ensure that they are still very functional and that the artwork doesn't distract too much.  So some decks produced for magicians (e.g. some of the Ellusionist brand decks) even use standard court cards, and the customization is all about a luxurious tuck box, back design, Ace of Spades, Jokers, with everything else standard.

But if you're making cards for a wider audience that includes collectors and gamers, then using standard faces will be of less interest; your design is more likely to attract more attention with a greater degree of customization, to make it unique and help it stand out more.