7 Questions with Justin Froyd of the Coat of Arms Playing Cards

We have been following the Coat of Arms Playing Cards for quite awhile. From the design & development pages of playing card forums to the popular crowd-funding platform Kickstarter, this unique deck of playing cards has been diligently put together by Justin Froyd of JammPakdCards.

We are delighted to have Justin here on Kardify to tell us more about Coat of Arms Playing Cards.

Can you tell us about yourself and what is your design background? 
I have been playing card games and poker since I was eight years old. Growing up my family and I would play poker with pocket change. I met Gonzo, my card designer, more than 10 years ago. Gonzo has over 15 years of ad agency, design studio and in-house design experience. He has also done illustrations for national ad campaigns, publications, trade show graphics and comic books including work for Todd McFarlane. Gonzo helped my design poker T-Shirts and create the Coat of Arms Deck. I give Gonzo my rough sketches along with my vision and he works his magic.

This is your first playing card project on Kickstarter. Why Kickstrter? 
Yes, this is my first Kickstarter playing card project. Back in 2008 I read Inc. Magazine and I was intrigued by an article about a beta site called Kickstarter. I have read the article many times over the years. I knew one day I wanted to put some of my ideas on Kickstarter. Now my dream is coming true.

What is your inspiration behind Coat of Arms Playing Cards? How did you come up with the idea? 
The inspiration behind the Coat of Arms Deck was my parents Family Crest on our wall in my childhood home. I thought it would be unique and interesting to have different images inspired by medieval coat or arms in a deck of cards.

How much time did you spend working on the deck and can you briefly go through the design evolution of one of your unique card design? 
The whole process has taken over a year. One of my favorite designs is the back of the card. I thought it would be cool to have the back design with a lion and a shield in its mouth. I started with a rough sketch that had a lion head with a shield in its mouth wearing a crown. I also had medieval mantel around the edges of the card. Gonzo and I talked about my vision of the lion and Gonzo came up with the idea with making the mantel apart of the lions hair. I am really happy with the final image for the back of the card.

We initially noticed the Coat of Arms deck in the forums. What do you think of the playing card community in terms of the feedback and support that you’ve been getting so far? 
The forums have been great. People have been supportive and have given some great feedback. I really appreciate all of the support I have received from everyone in the forums.

What are your thoughts about the continuous strong growth of playing card projects on Kickstarter? 
Wow, the growth has been great! The competition is getting better which helps to create better decks of cards. There has been great playing card projects.

Finally, what are your favorite playing card decks? 
My favorite decks are, Tendril, Ornate, Kem Arrow plastic cards, Federal 52 part 1 and 2, Clipped Wings and Delicious. The quality of these cards are great. I am impressed with their work.

Thanks Justin! Congrats on the launch and all the best!

The Coat of Arms Playing Cards is available in the Standard Coat of Arms deck and Limited Edition (LE) Dark Ages Deck. The LE deck is limited to 2,500 and features gold and red metallic inks, embossed tuck box with gold foil and metallic ink. Also included, is a special seal printed by Bicycle which states "Limited Edition 2,500". Pledge starts from $12.