Kickstarter: 7 Questions with Riccardo Conturbia of Passione Playing Cards

Not too long ago "Passione" popped up on Facebook, not much was known outside of it being an Italian based Playing Card Company. But today Kardify has a little more insight into the passion or "Passione"

Riccardo Conturbia is the man heading up this new venture. Married with 2 children, Riccardo is an Electronic Engineer currently working in a Project Management Office. Originally a Vintage Playing Card collector, Riccardo, like many, stumbled on to the cornucopia of modern playing cards and there was no turning back.

"I always used to collect vintage decks in my own country and when, a couple of years ago, I accidently discovered companies like Theory11, Ellusionist, Dan & Dave and many others, I was able to admire beautifully designed modern playing cards; my wallet has become much lighter and the seed for following their footsteps was sown"

Riccardo and Passione will soon be launching their 1st project on Kickstarter, we had a lot of questions about the company, designers and projects and Riccardo was gracious enough to share quite a bit of what's on the horizon for this new Italian based company.

Why the name "Passione"?

“Passione” is the Italian word for “passion” and conveys the key concepts of Italian design: vivid colors, elegance and emotions; Italians tend to do things for mainly two reasons: because they have to (and usually they are not so happy about it) or because they have a “passion”. In this second case they can overcome difficulties and, sometimes, create masterpieces. We are young, but motivated to follow our  “Passione”.

What motivated the creation of this company?

While working on the first ideas, I met several designers, and explored different concepts. We soon realized that a single project or a one-man company was not enough to satisfy our passion; our projects are growing and we felt the need to give solid foundations to our efforts and dreams.

I don’t want to disclose too much, but I can tell that we are planning a trilogy on Dante’s “Divina Commedia” that will have very special features.

Right now we are building our website and we will participate with our brand at PratoComics+Play, a trade show on comics, games and much more, that will take place in Prato, Tuscany, from 12th to 21st of September.

Divina Commedia first look

Who are some of the talents that will be producing for Passione?

I'm proud to present them:

Marco Guerrieri is a cartoonist and illustrator since 1999. Among his most successful works, "Milano Criminale" (published by Mondadori), "John Doe" (Eura Editoriale) and "Jonathan Steele" (Star Comics). Marco draws from his childhood because, he says, in this way he can give shape to his fantasies and dreams, getting in instant communication with others. Passionate about Formula 1, Marco produces dynamic models of the 70s and 80s for slot tracks. You can see him drawing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qkNAXaeTLA

Maurizio Toccafondi, owner of the design studio “4I”, is an industrial designer and illustrator, cofounder of the cultural association “Colored Noise” and “+Prato”. He loves SCI-FI and comics. http://www.colorednoise.it/

Stefano Protino developed the passion for drawing since childhood. He graduated in graphic design and has attended a course in Illustration at IED Turin. He currently works as an art director in a creative digital communications agency with expertise on fantasy character design and painting techniques. You can see some of his works here: https://www.behance.net/stefanoprotino

How diverse are the designers involved with Passione?

“Passione” combines and coordinates multiple skills. The main designer for each deck is chosen accordingly to the theme and to the characteristics of the artist; in our team we have cartoonists, fantasy illustrators and industrial designers, each with personal approaches to the design of figures and pips . The styles are therefore very different, ranging from the "ligne claire" to underground style, from traditional media paintings to digital art.

How will projects be released to the community?

Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms will probably be used for every “inaugural edition” but we plan, as we grow, to directly sell our playing cards.

Is there an inaugural project in the works?

Yes: “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”: a deck, designed by Marco Guerrieri. The Kickstarter campaign will begin this fall, probably in October, we are finalizing the artwork these days. “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” represents a foray into the past, from the beginning of 20th century to the seventies.  It will feature aristocrats, femme fatales, seductive women, latin lovers, gangsters and other mysterious and shady characters.

I want to personally thank Lorenzo Gaggiotti, creator of Heretic and Requiem playing cards for his advice and counsels.

What are the goals of Passione and its designers?

We have a mission: to bring the Italian design and creativity into the world of custom playing cards and to bring the custom playing cards culture in Italy. We believe that this mix has an high potential to make an impact.

I want to thank Riccardo for taking the time to share the upcoming release of "Smoke in your Eyes" the 1st deck slated for release from "Passione" Italy. You can keep up to date on releases, projects and news on Passione by following there Facebook page.

I'm always excited to see some new ideas and visions form a new set of designers and I'm sure Passione and it's talented crew will not disappoint..........looking forward to watching the journey.