Shadow Playing Cards, 48 Hours Remaining on Kickstarter!

Shadow Playing Cards is a fascinating deck currently funding on Kickstarter by Vermilion Collection. Designed by Filbert, the deck is inspired by duality and exploring the connection between the visible and invisible. On the design, Filbert mentioned on the campaign page,

The story of “Shadow” begins with my experience of collecting decks. I love finding artistic decks that have a quality feel in my hands. A lot of them deserve much more attention than they have gotten. As I became more and more deeply intrigued, I came up with the idea of creating one deck with two looks. After a year of design work and integrating various dramatic elements I find appealing (e.g., light vs. shadow, justice, evil, royalty, etc.), “Shadow” came into being. Hopefully, this whimsical urge of mine can bring you some pleasant surprises!

“Shadow” distinguishes itself in three aspects: (1) by expressing numbers as Roman numerals, (2) by reinventing the suits, and (3) by using fluorescent ink to give the deck a second look that’s hidden in plain sight. Under normal lighting conditions, the deck maintains a simple, clean yet elegant look.

However, when exposed to ultraviolet light, patterns printed with anti-forgery, fluorescent green ink reveal themselves, making “Shadow” a visually exciting deck fit for cardistry and other performance purposes.

The courts portray twelve personae with different occupations who are all dancers in disguise. When “the night falls,” their true shared identity is slowly revealed by gentle purple light.

The back design prominently features a clock face with roman numerals. The design is carefully curated and enriched with symbols to obtain a unique, meaningful visual when the cards are fanned out.

For this deck, Filbert replaced the traditional French suit system and used four symbols of power to denote spade, heart, club, and diamond. For example, the suit of clubs is here represented by the image of shurikens, a star-shaped Japanese concealed weapon used as a hidden dagger or Metsubushi to distract or misdirect the enemy.

The tuck box prominently features the clock face on the front and a die cut of a shadow figure wearing a cloak on the back. To give it a touch of elegance and class, gold foil is applied to create a sophisticated look and embossing technique for a raised effect.

The deck is printed by KingStar and pledge starts at $16 on Kickstarter.