First Look: Romeo and Juliet Playing Cards by LUX Playing Cards

[Update] Romeo and Juliet Playing Cards are now LIVE on Kickstarter.

LUX Playing Cards are returning to Kickstarter to seek funding for their new playing cards, Romeo and Juliet Playing Cards. The launch will coincide with the anniversary of Shakespeare's death in 1616, 400 years ago. According to Bryan Sloan, founder of LUX Playing Cards,

Shakespeare's birth and death date are the same calendar day, April 23. The project launches the morning of April 20, so it will be live during that important calendar day. 

The design of the deck is inspired by the main characters from Shakespeare's play. On the design Bryan explained,

It worked out really well to have the Montague and Capulet families in different suits, to demonstrate their equal dignity but difference from each other. With the Capulets as Clubs and Montagues as Diamonds, I also took the liberty of coming up with a family crest for each family: Each family is represented by an animal,but opposite as canine and feline. Tybalt (a Capulet) is known as the Prince of Cats, so the Capulets are portrayed by the Lion, while the Montagues are represented by the Wolf. 

Two different tucks are available on the campaign: Bicycle branded, and unbranded, called Montague vs Capulet.

A lot of thought have gone into the design of the deck. The Montagues and Capulets suits are opposite in every way, in line with "Two households, both alike in dignity...".  From the suits - of the full black Clubs of the Capulets to the hard lined red Diamond of the Montagues.

As for the courts, the Montagues have the canine Wolf as their Crest, while the Capulets have the feline Lion as their Crest. Even the family colors (Red and Green) are opposites on the color spectrum. The Capulets have Red as their color, which can be seen in the suit color and in their clothing. The Montagues are black, with a darker green in their clothing.

Romeo and Juliet Playing Cards will be printed by the USPCC and beautifully illustrated by Belgian artist Virginie Carquin, an immensely talented artist known for her portrait work. Nam Tibon (Tally-Ho British Monarchy) illustrated the Bicycle branded tuck, and Virginie illustrated the unbranded Montague vs Capulet tuck.

Romeo and Juliet will launch on Kickstarter morning of April 20, 2016.

[Update] Romeo and Juliet Playing Cards are now LIVE on Kickstarter.


To keep up to date on the Romeo and Juliet deck, follow the LUX Playing Cards on their Facebook page.