Cardistry: 3 Questions With Joe Feldpausch of 3DOTDECK

Now on Kickstarter, the 3DOTDECK is conceptualized and designed by Joe Feldpausch. For the past decade, Joe has been pursuing cardistry and this interest led him to pursue a degree in creative arts. His dream has always been to integrate his passion for cardistry with his design degree to create something truly unique and special for the cardistry community. On the design of the deck, Joe told Kardify,

I fell in love with intentional design and solving creative problems through reason-based form and shape. My dream has always been to integrate my passion for cardistry with my skill in design to create something truly unique and special for the cardistry community. From that dream, the 3DOTDECK was created!

This unique fully custom cardistry deck features the displacement of three white dots on a black background, adding extra movement and one-of-a-kind visuals when the cards are shuffled or riffled.

Earlier this week, we had a chat with Joe about the inspiration behind 3DOTDECk, the support from the community, and his favorite flourish and playing cards.

What is your inspiration behind the 3DOTDECK? How did you come up with the idea?
I have always loved understated designs, designs that are both practical and fueled with intent, yet also visually striking and meticulously beautiful. When brainstorming ideas for my first deck of cards, I sought to create a minimal, practical focused, timeless design that would aid in enhancing the cardistry artform in every aspect possible. I wished to design a deck that no matter what order, direction, or orientation the cards were facing, the conceptual idea behind the design would not fail. With this vision in mind, and through much trial and error, the 3DOTDECK was born. A visually striking, meticulously designed set of 55 playing cards created solely for the artform of cardistry.

We first noticed the deck on Instagram. What do you think of the playing card community in terms of the feedback and support that you’ve been getting so far?
Sharing my designs with the playing card community has been quite a daunting yet gratifying experience. The 3DOTDECK is very (okay extremely) minimal, which some people no doubt despise. However, understated design is what I am truly passionate about. I wanted to create a deck that I myself would personally love, I could only hope that others see value in the design as well.

Upon sharing the campaign with the community, I am very grateful for the support and kind words which have been coming my way. When others show appreciation for the concept and intentionality behind the design, it truly is the most gratifying experience. Releasing an original deck of cards has been a dream of mine ever since being introduced to cardistry a decade ago. I am hopeful that soon many people around the globe will be able to hold and use something which I have poured my entire heart, time, and efforts towards for the past year.

Finally, what are your favorite card flourishes and decks?
I have always gravitated towards flourishes that are either highly visual, showcase a clear intent, or demonstrate an understanding of unity, rhythm, and visual balance. My move Waterbend (totally not biased here) is one of my favorite flourishes as it represents a highly visual move with clear intent. Regarding rhythm and visual balance, many of the moves created by Nikolaj Honoré demonstrate this beautifully. Take Barolo 2 for example, despite very simple grips he is able to create a beautifully unified flourish through repetition of similar movements and a perfect understanding of visual tension and timing.

Regarding a few of my favorite decks, I really enjoy a nice minimal and bold design (imagine that). Many of the playing cards produced by Lotusinhand stand out amongst others. In particular, I really enjoy their Flux, Duo, Normal, and Solid line of decks. I have always admired their bold designs and their efforts to rethink what a deck of cards can be through their experimental uses of inks, materials, and concepts.

If you want to support Joe and the 3DOTDECK, head over to the campaign page on Kickstarter here! Pledge starts at $10 and the deck will be printed by the USPCC on Classic Bicycle stock, traditionally cut with air cushion finish.