Kickstarter: 7 Questions with Keshav Mongia of Millennium Playing Cards

From Galaxy Designs headed by UK designer Keshav Mongia (instagram: @keshav_mongia), Millennium is a custom deck of playing cards with geometric artwork showcases ornate design with beautiful deep blue back with gold elements creating an elegant design. The face cards feature custom pips, aces, jokers and standard recolored courts printed with metallic inks to give the deck a luxurious feel.

Before the launch of the Kickstarter campaign, we had a quick chat with Keshav about his design background, inspiration and design process behind the Millennium deck.

For those of us who don’t know, can you tell us about yourself and what is your design background?
I am a product designer based in the UK. My entry into this community was through magic but now I mainly perform Cardistry. I have been designing playing cards and playing card accessories for 4 years. I am currently studying design but my graphic design skills are self-taught.

What is your inspiration for Millennium Playing Cards? How did you come up with the idea?
My inspiration for the Millennium playing cards came from medallion designs and the idea of complementing spinning moves. I wanted to design a luxury styled deck which fused simplicity and complexity in an elegant way.

How much time did you spend working on the deck?
The deck has been in development for 3 years. I don’t know exactly how long I have spent on the design but I have spent countless hours trying to make it as perfect as possible.



Talk to us a bit about going from the first draft to the final version. How did you get to this finished product?
The design has been through a lot of changes from the first draft. I added a lot more detail to the design, changed the colors and tried lots of variations of the design.

What was your most brilliant breakthrough when designing the deck?
The best breakthrough was getting the colors right. I found it difficult to get blue and gold to look the way I wanted on the back design. I tried countless digital combinations and over 30 printed combinations to get the colors right.



With so many playing card projects competing for funding, why should potential backers choose your deck?
I believe the design speaks for its self on this one. The design is, in my opinion, stunning and with metallic inks and a traditionally cut crushed premium (bee) stock this deck is perfect for any playing card enthusiast.

Finally, what are your favorite playing cards?
Other than the Millennium playing cards my favorite deck is currently the black Orbit playing cards. Not only do they look great but they feel amazing.

Thank you for your time Keshav and all the best!


Millennium playing cards will be printed by the United States Playing Card Co. Having raised 45 percent of its £5.4k goal in 14 days, with another 30 days left to go, a pledge of £7 sets you up with a deck. Check it out on Kickstarter here!