Kickstarter: 7 Questions with Jason Kreiger of Seven Seas Playing Cards

Ahoy! Brain Vessel Studios (@brainvessel) released their first Deck of playing cards, Seven Seas on Kickstarter last week... and in a little over 24 hours, the project hit it's funding goal of $13k. Shiver me timbers!

Seven Seas is nautical adventure like no other. This beautifully illustrated 54 card deck explores famous sailors, explorers, pirates, privateers, ghost ships, sea creatures and superstitions.

We managed to get hold of Jason Kreiger, co-founder of Brain Vessel Creative and illustrator behind the Seven Seas deck, from his super busy schedule for a quick Q&A about their first Kickstarter project, the design inspiration behind Seven Seas Playing Cards and his thoughts on crowd-funding.

Can you tell us about Brain Vessel Creative and what is your design background?
Brain Vessel was started little over a year ago by Douglas Koozer and myself, Jason Kreiger. We have worked together for the past 5 years on projects ranging from our own IP’s to mobile game development. Wanting to strike out on our own, we created Brain Vessel. We do anything from animation and illustration to project management and brand development.

As well as doing client work we are also dedicated to starting our own projects to help further our careers as artist. This is why we started the Seven Seas Playing card deck. If you would like to know more visit our website.

This seem to be your first Kickstarter Project. Why Kickstarter?
Well, this being our first year in business as Brain Vessel, funds are a little on the slim side so what better way to get funding than Kickstarter. And what better way to showcase what I can do as an artist than to create 54 pieces of art that everyone can enjoy without emptying their pockets. The playing card medium is a great way to showcase yourself as an artist. Plus playing cards are just awesome.  

What is your inspiration behind Seven Seas Playing Cards? How did you come up with the idea?
First of all the nautical theme goes hand in hand with our business name. It is also so rich in folklore and history. There are so many stories to draw from. I wanted to create a playing card deck that not only looked beautiful but was rich in content and depth. To do the cards justice and elaborate on the stories behind each card, we created the Captain’s Log, which will showcase a tale based on each card, written by my good friend Matthew Fishgold.

How much time did you spend working on the deck?
I’ve been working on this deck for over four months now. There are a lot of illustrations that go into the creation of a deck like this. Not only am I doing a unique illustrated story for all of the court cards, I also created 18 illustrations for the 2-10 cards. That is 36 unique illustrations not counting the backs, tuck boxes and other odds and ends. There are only a few more illustrations of the court cards to be done while the campaign runs, so be on the look out for updates.

You are currently 168% funded and according to our data provider- Kickspy, you are trending towards 326%. What are your thoughts in terms of support, the successful funding of your project and what next?
Honestly we have been overwhelmed by the response we’ve received so far. Although I think that trending goal may be a bit of a stretch, we expect to have quite an awesome campaign. We have received a ton of support so far. I can’t thank everyone enough. It’s really great seeing your hard work being appreciating. You can expect many updates on our progress throughout the campaign. We have a few new rewards in the works and possibly a new contest on the horizon.  

Ooo.. Contest. Awesome! What are your thoughts about the exponential increase of playing card projects on kickstarter? 
I think it’s amazing how much the playing card community has grown on Kickstarter. And the increasing amount of playing card Kickstarters that get funded, have let to some amazing products. Products of such a level of production you wouldn’t think possible.

I believe Kickstarter playing cards are rivaling and even surpassing the traditionally distributed ones. I really don’t think you can go wrong with the passion and creativity that Kickstarter allows artist by giving them an chance to do it themselves.  

Finally, what are you favorite playing card decks?
I have to say Jackson Robinson’s Federal 52 decks were what really inspired me to get involved in this. The detail and artistry he puts in his decks are amazing. Hats off to you.

Thank you Jason for your time and sharing with us your awesome artwork! All the best!

Pledges starts from $12 and there are multiple add-ons available such as pouch, giant coins, uncut sheets and our favorite, Deck in a Bottle. Fits the theme so well!

There are also multiple rewards that will be unlocked once the project hits their set stretch goals. The Seven Seas Playing Cards will be Bicycle Branded and printed by the USPCC. The deck will be due out to backers on May 2014.