The slipcase lying flat on white, its cover printed with a grid of small yellow, magenta and blue rectangles inside a thin die-cut frame

The slipcase seen almost edge-on, its spine printed with the series title in small type

The slipcase from the other side at a low angle, the card-grid cover catching the light

A raking close-up of the open end of the slipcase, the yellow, magenta and blue page edges of the three books stacked inside it

The closed end of the slipcase with the three coloured book blocks visible behind it, the words “variations” and “evolution” printed small on the flap

The three books laid out side by side: a yellow, a blue and a magenta cover, each printed with a card-back diagram and tied with a grey thread

The yellow book stood open on its end so its pages fan out, the grey binding thread hanging below

The yellow book closed and photographed from above, its thread trailing across the white surface

The first book open at a spread on Japan and India, black woodcut-style card illustrations across both pages

The magenta book stood open on its end, its pages fanned, the number 3 die-cut into the cover

The magenta book closed and seen from above, the card-back diagram and its thread laid out flat

The second book open on a spread about Music decks, small printed cards arranged in a diagonal cascade on a magenta ground

The blue book stood open on its end with the pages fanned, the number 5 showing through the cover

The blue book closed and seen from above, its card-back diagram and grey thread on white

The third book open at a spread headed “Present”, printed cards reading “never have I ever” and “most likely to” laid over the pages

A spread headed “Future” with an UNO card and an electronic-card diagram drawn in blue and yellow outline

A hand holding a printed transparent card over the same Future spread, a Cards Against Humanity card overlaying the UNO drawing beneath

The blue and magenta books propped against each other on white, their back covers facing out

All three books stacked flat and slightly offset so the yellow, magenta and blue edges step across the frame

The three books nested inside one another at an angle, the grey threads gathered together at the foot

The whole set fanned out: the slipcase behind and the yellow, blue and magenta books stepped in front of it, all four threads hanging

Design of Play | Book about Playing Cards

In this project, I created a deck of book series researching different aspects of playing cards. I think that playing cards are the precedent for Graphic Design, therefore I have become interested in the industry and started my own collection of cards from various locations. This inspired me to explore the differences of the decks worldwide, variations of the kinds of decks, and transformation of the games in these 3 books. The overall, aesthetic for the project consists of hints of game card layouts and shapes to add dynamics to the presentation of sourced information.

The first book is a compilation of interesting facts about the significance of the card games from 4 distinct countries located both in the East and the West. The second book gives concise information about the unique alternatives of the standard card games, including Music & Tarot decks. And finally, the third book is mainly my personal opinions on the current evolution of the classic standard card games and suggestions of the future transformation of the game experience.

Spring 2019